The Chronicles of Weyard
by Pyro1588
Summary: COMPLETE! Santur, Meron, Brigg, and Gandas, now official Adepts, have to fight to keep Alchemy free.
1. Prologue

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 1: Prologue  
  
"What a beautiful day," Santur thought, as he hiked through the foothills of the mountains west of Lunpa. Santur had been raised in Lunpa, the town named for the noble thief of ancient days. 'I can't believe that on the other side of this mountain range is the heart of Alchemy!' he thought as he sat on a rock to catch his breath. Alchemy was the great power that, long ago, had been sealed up to prevent the destruction of Weyard. As legend had it, a group of nine companions discovered how Weyard was dying because of the seal. You see, Weyard needed that power to live. Alchemy is what it thrived on. A group of Mars adepts embarked on a quest to break the seal and revive Weyard. Their first attempt had failed miserably, killing all but two of their party. Three years later, however, they returned to try again. They found the scholar, Kraden, who eventually became one of the nine companions. They questioned him, but found him of no use. As they where leaving, they met three young teenagers, who also where destined to become companions. They allowed them to pass, then followed them secretly into Sol Sanctum, the ancient shrine which Vale guarded. Isaac and his friend, Garet, managed to unlock the portal to the elemental room, home of the elemental essences. The two Mars adepts, Saturos and Menardi, followed them into the elemental room. By the time they had entered, Isaac and Garet had recovered the Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury elemental stars. Saturos and Menardi held the scholar and a girl, Jenna, hostage, and proceeded to take the stars from Isaac and Garet. With only a quarter of the power left to sustain the chamber, the ceiling began to collapse. Saturos and Menardi managed to escape with the hostages and their accomplices, Alex and Felix. Isaac and Garet, however, where left in the collapsing room, still holding the Mars star. The Wise One, an ancient guardian of Sol Sanctum, appeared and helped them to escape. He then gave them the quest of finding Saturos and Menardi and preventing them from lighting the elemental beacons. While on the quest, they gained two allies: Ivan of the Jupiter Tribe, and Mia of the Mercury Clan. Later in their quest, they met up with Felix and his companions. Kraden then explained to Isaac how they had a choice: They could either light the beacons and risk mankind destroying itself, or they could sit back and watch as Weyard died for lack of power. Isaac joined Felix on his quest, and thus the Companionship was formed. After many trials and hardships, they managed to light the two other elemental beacons and break the seal of Alchemy.  
  
That was ancient history, though. It had been over three hundred years since the unleashing of Alchemy. Everyone was able to use Psynergy. Some had just enough skill to do heavy lifting. Others practiced daily and could do precision work such as gemstone carving with just their Psynergy. Others devoted their whole life to the study and use of Psynergy. If they had true skill, they could take a Psynergy ship and sail to the Land of Mist. If they could pass through the Sea of Time, then they where allowed to test their skills. If they succeeded, then they earned the Badge of the Adept. The most noticeable effect was that their pupils changed color. For Venus Adepts, their pupils turned to a dark brown. Mars Adepts had bright red pupils. Jupiter Adepts had purple pupils, and the pupils of a Mercury Adept turned deep blue. Adepts also gained a birthmark of the same color under their right eye. After earning the title, their skill was said to double. If they performed exceptionally at the test, then they where given a companion to join them on their journeys: an Elemental Horse. Very little was known about the creatures, though. All Santur knew was that it was said they could move incredibly fast through their own medium. Santur dreamed of someday facing the trials and earning the right to be called an Adept. He trained everyday for three hours. He practiced all sorts of types of Psynergy. For an occupation, he wanted to be a Psynergy warrior. He also wanted to see an Elemental Horse, even if he couldn't own one.  
  
But that was all a long way off. Right now, he had to get home in time for supper. He had heard that master Adepts of the Jupiter Tribe had the ability to teleport to various locations. It did take, however, a great amount of one's strength. That ability would definitely be helpful right now. He was already late. 'Boy, am I in for it,' he thought as he ran down the slopes, leaping small boulders. He was fast for a boy of his age. But that was one of the natural attributes of a Jupiter person. Along with it came several other abilities: An uncanny insight into what others where thinking (some people trained this skill to the point where they could read minds,) wonderful eyesight, quick reflexes, and several others, like the ability to weaken another person's Psynergy. He had also honed several other skills that did not come naturally with the Jupiter Element. These included the ability to summon a small rain cloud, many people called this 'Douse', and the ability to create small ice crystals. The reason he was able to use these Psynergies that where unique to the Mercury Clan was that Jupiter and Mercury shared a symbiosis. 'But that's beside the point,' he thought as he raced up to his house and slammed the door open. "Hi Mom. Sorry I'm late," he said as he shut the door and untied his shoes. "I thought I told you to be on time," she replied. "I know, but I got caught up in thinking and lost track of the time," he replied. "I know. About Psynergy. And becoming an Adept." She knew him well. He sheepishly took his chair at the table. His baby sister, Ganor, was playing with her food. "Eat up, wash up, and go to bed. Tomorrow's when summer vacation starts, and I know you'll be busy. You'll want to get a good night's sleep." "But Mom, can't I stay up just a little?" he begged. "Nope, you need to get some sleep. Once you turn thirteen, I'll let you stay up another hour past supper. Remember?" "Yeah, I know. I just wanted to go out and enjoy the night some" he replied. "Sorry, nope." After supper, he washed up and went to bed, dreaming of his months of vacation.  
  
Over the next month, Santur spent most of every day training his Psynergy. Brigg, his coach, had told him that if he could master a Psynergy called 'Force', that he could start using some battle Psynergy. He was incredibly excited. The moment he had been waiting for all his life was almost in reach! He was already excellent at hand-to-hand combat, but battle Psynergy made one unbeatable! Brigg had also taught him his swordplay. He used an old sword, called an Elven Rapier. If he could focus properly, he could get it to do something called a 'Vorpal Slash'. Basically, a large slashing force would come and hit his opponent. This didn't happen often, though. He had been practicing with it, trying to get it to unleash its power more often, and he had been getting better. As for his useful Psynergy, he could now create a small whirlwind. He was getting better at it each day. "Okay, that's enough work for today." Brigg said as Santur was trying to knock over a small log with his mind. "Go cool down, and then go for a walk." "Sure thing," he replied. After a nice cold shower, he grabbed his Elven Rapier and, strapping it on, left the city gates. As he was walking through the trees outside of his town, he heard the noise of leaves shaking. But it only came from one tree. It was like there was a small wind inside the branches. He quietly unsheathed his sword and walked toward the tree. "Who's up there?" he challenged. A small blue creature flew out of the tree. It was about a foot tall, and hovered a couple inches above the ground, staring at him. It then lunged toward him and he felt himself knocked back, as by a powerful wind. He picked himself up and started chasing it. It stopped in front of a tree and turned to face him. As he brought his sword up to strike it, he felt himself caught up in a spinning whirlwind. When he was about ten feet off the ground, the whirlwind vanished and he dropped like a rock, bracing his fall and rolling to his feet. He began to focus his mind on his sword. It started howling, and a Vorpal Slash hit the small creature. He then raised his hand and a small rain cloud appeared above it and completely drenched it. It collapsed on the ground, panting. As soon as it had caught its breath, it jumped up in the air and dissolved into a stream of sparkling light. It began spinning and spiraling towards his right shoulder, reforming into the small creature. It was perched on his shoulder, but it was about a quarter of its normal size and was transparent. He sheathed his sword and reached his hand up by it. It hopped on his hand and perched there, looking at him. He put it back on his shoulder and headed back to Lunpa at breakneck speed. He ran up to the town gate, completely out of breath. "Hi Santur. How ya doin?" asked Meron. She was a girl about his age, and a good Mercury person as well. "I just found the most amazing thing! See it perched on my shoulder?" he gasped. "Bairly. It's transparent! What is it?" she asked. "I don't know. I'm going to go ask Brigg what it is. If anyone knows, he does." They both ran over to Brigg's house and pounded on the door. "I'm coming, I'm coming. What is it?" he said as he opened the door. "Oh, hi Santur. Hello, Meron. What's the big rush?" he queried. "Look what I just found out in the woods!" Santur exclaimed as the small creature perched on his hand. "Oh my!" exclaimed Brigg. "Do you know what it is?" questioned Meron. "Yes, I do. It's called a Djinni. It's an Elemental Spirit. I haven't seen one of these for years. They used to be used in battle, but they were eventually lost. Very few are still serving humans now. The only one I've ever seen was a Venus Djinni called Flint." Brigg explained. "But what are they?" asked Santur. "Okay, sit down. Time for a history lesson."  
  
"The Djinn are the Elemental Spirits. They have the ability to use Psynergy, and are quite proficient at it, actually. They were lost for many years when Alchemy was sealed, but when the Elemental Stars where stolen, they returned from their sleep. Many of them were eventually collected by the Companionship, but many more remained uncaptured. Each of them has, in addition to its Psynergy, a special ability. Let me look this one up." Brigg grabbed a book entitled "Elemental Spirits" and quickly looked it up. "Let's see... It's obviously a Jupiter Djinni. Now we have to look it up according to its markings, which are very small. Please unleash it so that I can check the markings on it." Brigg said. "How do I do that?" Santur asked. Brigg explained, "Place it in your right hand, palm up. Then cup your left hand on top of it, palm down. Then, flip both hands back so that they are open." Santur did as he was told, and the small creature jumped out of his hand, full sized. "If there were an enemy here, the Djinni would attack it. Now let's see those markings... Ah, here it is. This Djinni is called 'Gust'. It has the ability to attack an enemy with powerful wind gusts." Brigg said. "I know." said Santur. "It knocked me back on the ground with those gusts." Brigg continued, "After a Djinni has been unleashed, it will follow you around. Or you can set it to yourself again, or you can have it follow you." "What's the advantage of it following you?" Meron asked. "If it's not set (this is also called Standby,) then you can use it to summon an Elemental Power." Brigg said. After an hour of practicing with Gust, Santur went home for supper. That night, he slept with Gust at the foot of his bead.  
  
In the following weeks, Santur continued to train. He mastered several battle Psynergies, and became quite good at Psynergy combat. His parents started letting him go on trips, first to Vault, and then further. He could hike from Lunpa to Vault in a couple of days. Meron often went with him on these expeditions. She was a valuable battle partner to have. Many different types of creatures would attack them, especially when they where in wooded areas. As they continued on their travels, they found a Mercury Djinni named Hail. Meron got that one. Santur continued to study Psynergy and Elemental powers whenever he could. By the end of his summer vacation, he could defeat almost any creature that he met on his journeys. Unfortunately, he had school to do now. There would be no more time for expeditions until the next summer. He still worked on his Psynergy three hours a day, however. Brigg was amazed at how fast he could learn new types of Psynergy. He had even been able to use his Psynergy in a real encounter with a bully at school. The bully was picking on Meron, so he had tried to intervene. The bully knocked him back with a powerful blast of Psynergy. Santur then proceeded to seal his Psynergy and pummel him with Force. He went home crying.  
  
Another fall, winter, and spring passed. Santur was once again released from school for the summer. Now that he was thirteen, his parents agreed to let him journey to Tolbi and watch Colosso. He had already been to Kalay once, but Tolbi meant he would get to go on a ship! They had consented to his begging only when Brigg had volunteered to go along and keep him out of trouble. Brigg was, after all, a powerful man skilled with Venus Psynergy. He had already consulted Meron, and she had begged to go with. Her parents where willing to let her join him. After all, they had been on more than one expedition together. They were great battle partners. With Brigg helping, they where sure they would be safe.  
  
Two weeks later found them in Kalay, sleeping soundly at the inn. Brigg was sawing logs and Meron was softly snoring, but Santur found himself sitting up, unable to sleep. Having nothing better to do, he climbed out of bed and drew his sword. It was a new one he had gotten just recently, a claymore. Though it couldn't unleash any special powers, its cleaving power was amazing. He began to swing it around, one-handed. During normal combat, he would be using both his hands to deliver a blow, but during fencing, he would use one hand only. Not that a claymore was any good for fencing. It was large and heavy. But it was all that he had handy to practice with. 'Wait,' he thought. He had given his old Elven Rapier to Meron. She was only good with light swords, and the Rapier was perfect for her. It was much lighter, and Santur could swing it with ease. He bent over her backpack to grab it. As he was picking up the sheathed blade, he heard the slightest creak in the floor. Not that a creaking sound was unusual, but this was less than three feet behind him. He whirled around, unsheathing the blade and holding his right elbow just in front of him. It met with the chest of a fully-grown man holding two knives in his hands. The man let out a grunt as he was shoved backwards, landing on his back. He quickly rolled backwards, bringing him up on his knees. He launched himself at Santur, who leaped aside nimbly. So far, they hadn't made enough noise to wake Brigg, but Meron was stirring. The assassin dove for Santur's legs. Santur jumped at the last second, letting the assassin hit the floor and grind to a stop, face-first. Santur landed behind him with a light thud, and proceeded to hack at the man's legs. The would-be killer screamed in agony, waking Meron completely. "Here!" Santur yelled, tossing her the Elven Rapier. "Get me my claymore!" She stooped down and, picking it up, tossed it to Santur, who then continued to hack at the legs and back of the assassin. The killer jumped to his feet, stumbling from the wounds to his legs. Santur began to feel very hot. Then he realized it was because the man was of the Mars Clan and was casting Flare on him. He yelled in pain as the fire sprang up around his feet. Meron quickly cast Douse on him, extinguishing the flames. The assassin jumped to his feet and grabbed at the doorknob, trying to escape. Santur threw his claymore at the man. It hit him squarely behind the knees, causing them to buckle and the killer to fall back. Santur pounced on him and began to punch him in the face. Meron tossed him a paperweight off an endtable. He caught it and proceeded to clobber the man senseless. As soon as Santur checked to make sure he was out (he did so by using Mind Read and making sure there was nothing to read,) he woke Brigg and explained what had happened. Meron was busy bending over the man, using her healing powers to cure the numerous slash marks on his legs and back. Brigg came over and looked at him. "He's a member of the Gray Company. They're a group of Alchemy fanatics who think that it's their duty to gain the power of Alchemy and use it to cleanse this world of all who won't join them. I have no idea why they're attacking you, Santur. If he doesn't answer any questions, just read his mind." Brigg then cast Revive on him, bringing him to consciousness. He then began to question the assassin. "Who are you?" Brigg said. "I'm Elkand, a member of the Gray Company." the man replied. "Why did you attack this young man, Santur?" Brigg yelled, bairly able to contain his anger. "Santur is not his name. He is called Isaacen, and is the reincarnation of the warrior Isaac." Elkand replied. Meron walked up to Santur, who was busy reading the man's mind, and grabbed his hand. Anyone who joined hands with a Jupiter person using Mind Read could read the subject's mind as well. "He's telling the truth," she said. "He really thinks that Santur is Isaac and is planning to seal Alchemy and destroy the world." Brigg suddenly looked confused. "What makes you think he is Isaac?" he asked. "Our legend says to look for a young man from the city of thieves." Elkand replied calmly. "We are charged with the task of destroying him and-Oh!" he said, grimacing. He was obviously dying. "I have failed, and I have no right to live now. Beware the Gray Company!" he said, his face twisted with pain. He gave a shriek, then his head dropped back. He was dead. "I don't understand," said Santur, pulling himself away from the mind link. "Why did he die?" "I think I know." replied Meron. "While you were getting information on his motives, I looked into the last few days of his life. He was poisoned, then sent here to kill you. Though he didn't know it, he would have died either way. It's obvious that one of the higher-ups in the Gray Company doesn't believe their religion. Whoever it is sent Elkand to kill you. He wanted it to appear to the rest of the Gray Company that anyone who fails to kill you will die a very painful death." "But why?" Brigg mumbled to himself. "Can't say. Probably because whoever it is wants Santur dead, and wants it very badly. There aren't many things that can motivate people as much as death." she replied. "Well, if they're out to get you, I guess I'll go stand guard." Brigg said. "You two get what sleep you can. I'll be watching the hallway." he continued, strapping on his sword and stepping into the hall.  
  
Both Santur and Meron tried to get to sleep that night, but neither could. About 1:30 in the morning, Santur decided he wanted to talk. "You awake?" he asked. "As awake as you are." she replied. "Wanna talk?" he asked. "Sure. What about?" she replied. "Anything but tonight. I don't like the idea of attempts on my life. I'll be glad to be out on the open road soon, so no one can track us." "Sorry that it happened." she said, trying to comfort him. "Oh, that's all right. I just hope that they don't come again. I don't want to have to deal with anymore attempts on my life. I just can't believe that they want to kill me for no reason." There was a long pause. "So, are you looking forward to Colosso?" Meron asked. "You bet. I hear that they do some great swordplay in it. In the finals, they actually get to use Psynergy! I can't wait to see what they can do!" "You sound excited." "Well sure I am. Aren't you?" he replied. "I don't know. I'm looking forward to it, but at the same time, this trip makes me realize how soon I'll be on my own. I'm not looking forward to growing up," she said. "Yeah, I know what you mean. It does make you think about all the complications of life. But by the time I hit sixteen (in Weyard, this signified adulthood,) I think I'll be ready for life." "I suppose. What are your plans?" she asked. "Same as ever. Become a Psynergy warrior. Wars are still fought all over Weyard. And if I can become an Adept, that'll secure me any job I want." he replied. "What about you?" "Oh, I've had the same thought. Join some army as a medic. That's my best skill so far." "I hope we end up in the same army," he joked. She laughed. "Yup. You can count on it." "Well, we'd better try to get some sleep before morning," she said. He lay back in his bed, thinking about the title of Adept. Many kids dreamed about it, but very few came as close to it as he. He actually had a chance at it. Still thinking about it, he drifted off to sleep.  
  
The next morning, they walked around Kalay a bit. After checking out numerous different shops, they headed to the edge of town where the palace was. It was built by the founder of Kalay, Hammet. It even had a tunnel that led out of the city, built as an escape route. After touring the palace, they headed to the western side of town where the docks were. In ancient times, Kalay was so small that the docks weren't inside town. They were several miles away! Anyway, they purchased their tickets and climbed aboard the boat. Boats of this time were operated mainly by sail, but had seamen who could operate oars with Psynergy if the wind failed. They walked around the ship, eager to be off. After what seemed like hours, they shoved off. Santur and Meron had never been on a ship before, and it took them a while to get used to the rocking motion. "Ugh," Meron said as she wiped the barf off her lips. This was the second time in an hour she had lost her lunch. Santur wasn't doing much better. Brigg assured them that a good night's sleep was all they needed. They hoped he was right. Fortunately, he was. The next morning, they both woke up full of energy. They would reach Tolbi that afternoon, the captain said. Suddenly, the ship lurched to the left. Santur and Brigg ran to the right side to see what it was. "We've been bumped by a small pirate ship!" exclaimed Brigg. A ladder was thrown up right next to Brigg. He waited until the pirates were half way up before using Move to tip it back. It landed in the water with a large splash. More ladders were thrown up. Brigg, Santur, and Meron busied themselves with throwing them back down. "Keep them busy!" yelled a fourteen-year old boy. He ran to the edge of the ship and closed his eyes, preparing himself for a burst of Psynergy. Suddenly, he thrust his hand up and a large wall of flame appeared on the pirate vessel. It caught fire, but the pirates quickly put it out. "Fine!" he yelled. He closed his eyes again, concentrating hard. He held his hand up again, but this time a dozen fireballs flew from it. Normally this attack would concentrate them all at one point, but he directed each fireball to a separate place on the ship. The pirates were soon busy putting out a dozen different fires. The boy again closed his eyes, focusing. He then threw another dozen fireballs at different points on the pirate vessel. It burst into flames. The pirates began jumping overboard or trying to scale the side of the passenger ship. Santur, Meron, Brigg, and the other boy all started throwing ropes over the side, hauling up the pirates and extinguishing them when necessary. In fifteen minutes they had most of the pirates onboard. One pirate suddenly panicked. "Quick!" he yelled. "Get away from our ship! I forgot! We have blasting powder onboard! It'll blow any minute!" Santur quickly gathered Meron, Brigg, and the Mars boy around him. "I can create a protective aura big enough to encircle a person," he said. "If you can direct your Psynergy to me, I should be able to protect the ship!" They all closed their eyes and transferred their Psynergy into Santur, who was standing with his eyes tight shut, sweating from the exertion of creating the massive aura field. Without any warning, a bright film, like a soap bubble, encircled the ship. Santur remained focused. A massive blast echoed from the pirate's ship as the fire reached the blasting powder. It hit the aura, but was deflected. Santur flinched, bairly able to hold the shield together. All the flaming debris fell into the water and was extinguished. "Santur," Meron said, "it's safe. You can stop." Santur stood there for a moment, then collapsed on the deck. Meron began to cast Ply on him. He started coming to. "Are we safe?" he asked. "Yes. You saved the ship, Santur." Meron responded. Suddenly, one of the pirates issued a battle cry. The rest of them drew their swords and started attacking the sailors, who were charged with their custody. Santur, Meron, Brigg, and the Mars boy all drew their swords as the pirates came charging at them. They started hacking at the pirates. But it was no use. They were outnumbered five-to-one. They reverted to Psynergy, using abilities unique to each Element. Santur picked up five of the pirates in a large whirlwind and threw them overboard. Meron froze anyone who came at her into a block of ice, as Brigg started throwing massive swords at them. Ragnarok was one of his favorite abilities. The other boy threw fireballs at anyone who came near him. Five minutes in, the pirates started dropping their weapons. The sailors picked them up and tied the pirates' hands and feet. Meron jumped up and down, hugging Santur. "We did it! We did it!" Brigg shook the Mars boy's hand. "I'm Gandas," he said. "My name's Brigg. Pleased to meet you. Nice fighting." Brigg replied as they shook hands.  
  
Two hours later, they were pulling into port at Tolbi. "Oh boy!" Santur exclaimed. "Tolbi! We're finally here!" "By the way," said Gandas, "do you mind if I hang out with you for a while? You see, I'm kind of on my own, and I don't know anyone here." "Sure," said Santur. "Let's go!" said Meron.  
  
Well, that's the end of the prologue chapter. Whaddya think? Email your comments to me at amesmoose@mooselake.net. Please make the subject "Chronicles of Weyard". If you notice any inconsistencies or typows, please let me know. Thanks.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
5/15/03  
  
5:34 PM  
  
20 paragraphs  
  
372 lines  
  
4842 words 


	2. Tolbi

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 2: Tolbi  
  
They all disembarked from the ship and, having gotten their baggage, procceeded to the more densely populated area of the city. It was weird to think that this was once a seperate town, with a fairly small population. Now it was a port city, made rich off of the trade that came through. "Wow," said Gandas. "This place is HUGE!" "Yeah, it sure is," replied Brigg. "It's also a very rich town because of the trade that comes through it. It also bosts one of the most impressive and well-trained armies in all of Weyard." They continued walking past a mixture of houses, shops, and inns. "Um, I just thought of something," Meron said. "Where are we going to find an inn with free rooms? I mean, Colosso starts in three days and all the inns look packed." "Good point. We may wind up camping outside of town for the night," Brigg replied. "You need a tent, Gandas?" "Yeah, I'll need to grab one at a shop here," he replied. "Do you need money?" Santur asked. "Nope. I'm covered," Gandas replied. They stopped at a shop and bought a small tent and sleeping bag for Gandas. Then they went looking for a place to eat. They finally found a decent place and headed in. After eating, they checked out some of the shops. Santur only bought one item: a Ninja Blade.  
  
As they were walking along, they spotted the colosseum. It was closed until Colosso, but they could still look at the outside. Then Santur spotted a guy standing milling around. There was a sign next to him that read "Qualified Colosso warrior Kanler. 30 coins to test your skills." Santur ran up to him. "What do I get if I win?" he asked. "60 coins," Kanler replied. "I'm in," said Santur. He paid the coins, then drew his claymore. "Bring it, kid." Kanler said as he drew out a long sword. Santur drew his new sword and stood ready. Kanler charged him, swinging his sword as he came. Santur jumped aside and asked "Is Psynergy in?" "Not yet. First we do blade combat." Santur parried another blow, then kicked Kanler in the stomach. Kanler grunted and jumped back. He jumped in front of Santur and faked a blow at Santur's left side. As Santur attempted to block it, Kanler brought his sword over Santur's head and attempted to bring his sword down on Santur's right shoulder. Santur dropped his shoulder and side-flipped to his right, ducking his head under the blade as he landed. This put Kanler's sword just above his left shoulder. Santur pointed his blade down and to his left, then brought it up, flinging Kanler's sword off to the side. This threw the warrior off balance, giving Santur the opportunity for a hit. He swung his blade over Kanler's head and brought it down on his left shoulder, dropping him to his knees. Kanler threw his blade aside and said "Now it's hand-to-hand time." Santur sheathed his sword, unstrapped it, and tossed it to Meron. She caught it and held it for him. Kanler stood to his feet and said "Begin." Santur ran up to him and swung his right foot up into the left side of Kanler's head. Kanler fell and rolled to his feet. He jumped at Santur and punched him in the jaw. As Santur flew back, he flipped backwards onto his hands and flipped to his feet, ready to hit Kanler if he tried that again. Kanler was waiting for Santur to charge. Santur jumped in the air, landing on Kanler's shoulders, then launching himself backwards. He did a backflip in the air and landed on his feet. That was a move Brigg had taught him. He had managed to throw Kanler backward, but he merely rolled backwards, landing on his knees. He sprang at Santur and managed to grab him by his arms and flip him around. Kanler rushed towards a tree, intending to slam Santur into it. As he came up to the tree, Santur jumped and hit the tree trunk running. He ran up it and flew over Kanler, who was thrown off balance in his failed attempt to hold Santur's arms. Santur landed eight inches behind his head and, placing his foot on Kanler's throat, said "I win." He allowed Kanler to pick himself up before they started using Psynergy. As soon as Kanler was standing, Santur said "You start this time." Kanler nodded and, raising his hand, shot a stream of flame up in the air. Santur jumped back just in time to avoid it landing on him. He thrust his hand forward as a barrage of lightning bolts struck Kanler. Kanler held his hand again and Santur was suddenly caught in the middle of a raging flow of lava. He screamed, jumping out of it. He cast Douse first on himself, then on Kanler. Kanler fell backward, and Santur took the opportunity to cast Destruct Ray on him. A giant bolt of static electricity hit Kanler and he screamed. "Had enough?" Santur asked. Kanler shook his head and started throwing fireballs. One hit Santur squarely in the chest, knocking him on the ground. Kanler held up his hand as two large rings of glowing red energy flew out from him. Santur rolled just as a barrage of heat beams hit where he had been laying. He cast Bind on Kanler, then started pummeling him with various Psynergy. Finally, Kanler fell on the ground, unable to fight back. He immediately grabbed a vial and drank it. He stood up and payed Santur his 60 coins. "Thanks. It was a great fight." Santur said. "No problem. Anytime."  
  
They headed back through the city, wandering the streets as dusk came on. They suddenly heard a scream, followed by several others. They ran over to see what was going on. There was a Mars Djinni in the street. Someone had scared it, and it was attacking anyone who came close. Santur quickly unleashed Gust and told it to go calm the Mars Djinni down. Gust flew up and started communicating with it. It soon calmed down and stopped attacking. Gust kept talking to it, and finally it walked over to Gandas, who wasn't sure what to think. Suddenly, it exploded into a bunch of glowing sparkles that reformed on Gandas' shoulder. It had joined him. "Hmm..." Brigg said. "Looks like this one's called 'Scorch'. It can attack and even paralyze if you unleash it." "What is it?" asked Gandas. "I'll explain it tonight." Brigg replied. They all headed out of town and set up camp.  
  
As they were sitting around the fire, Brigg explained about Djinn to Gandas. He caught on pretty quickly on how to use it. Finally, Santur asked the question that he'd been wondering. "Gandas, where do you come from?" "Prox. In the north." Gandas replied. "Hmm... I think I've heard of it." Santur replied. Gandas continued. "It's always been home to the Mars Clan. It's just south of Mars Lighthouse. It's where the best of the Mars people come from. We even have a few Adepts from Prox. But they're in various armies now." The conversation was quiet again. After another twenty minutes, Brigg turned in. Half an hour later, Gandas did the same. "Well Meron, you want first watch or second?" Santur asked. "I don't think we need to keep watch this close to the city." she replied. "In that case, I'm turning in." They both headed into their small tents and were soon fast asleep.  
  
The next two days were spent wandering around Tolbi. Santur managed to win four Assassin's Blades, which he distributed among his companions. They made good knifes, and could be used as daggers in a pinch. They went down to the seashore several times and went swimming. The water in the Karagol Sea was warm, unlike the Great Eastern and Western Seas. It was freshwater as well. They swam for hours. The only one who didn't was Gandas. He preferred to lay on the beach, enjoying the burning heat of the sand. It made sense, as he was Mars, and fire opposed water. The rest of them enjoyed the water immensely. After a few hours of swimming, they would dry off, change, and head back into town for supper. There were some wonderful restaurants in Tolbi. They toured the palace the day before Colosso. As each day went by, more and more tourists came to Tolbi. They saw many more people camping outside of town. "Wow. I didn't know the arena could hold this many people!" said Meron. "It's a lot bigger than you'd think from the outside." replied Brigg. He had been to Colosso several times before. As they were sitting around the fire one evening, Meron ventured a question. "Gandas, are you heading back to Prox after Colosso?" "Yes. My father died, so I have to provide for my mother and two brothers. She decided I could go to Colosso because I needed a break. I'd love to come see Lunpa, though. Some day, I might be able to go there. I will be here next year at Colosso, though. I'll try to meet you here." "Gandas," Santur asked, "what were you doing on the other side of the Karagol? I mean, you came down the west side of Godowan, so you should have wound up it Tolbi, right?" "I just felt like taking a cruise on a small ship. By luck, I wound up on the same ship as you during the return trip." They all stopped talking and stared into the fire. One by one, they turned in for the night.  
  
The next day, they all woke up early. They broke camp and headed into town for a pre-sunrise breakfast. After that, they headed to the arena. They wanted to get good seats. The fights began at nine in the morning and went all day, excluding a break for lunch. When they got there, no one was even waiting. They headed in and got front-row seats. Then the hours of waiting began. One by one, they drifted off to sleep. Meron awoke from her nap first. People were starting to file in. She let the others sleep for a few minutes more. By the angle of the sun, it appeared to be about eight. That gave them an hour. She went back to sleep. Gandas woke them all. "We have fifteen minutes till it starts. If anyone wants to make a bathroom trip, now's the time." They all needed to go. They went in pairs, leaving two people to hold their seats. Brigg and Gandas went first and were back in five minutes. They guarded the seats while Santur and Meron made the trip. They were all back and seated by the time it started.  
  
Four men walked to the center of the colosseum, each facing a different direction. They held their hands up for silence, then started speaking, or rather yelling, in unison. "Welcome all attenders of the 346th Colosso of the Golden Age. We first welcome all the inhabitants of Tolbi, and then all the people who are just here visiting for this very special event." Santur looked around. They were right, it was special. The colloseum was packed. The men continued. "Today is the first day of the seven-day tournament. We will be holding the preliminary fights today. Winners will participate tomorrow. In today's activities, only hand-to-hand combat will be tested. No armor will be used. We wish all the participants luck. Good fighting!" With that, they stepped down. The match began with a brown-haired Venus warrior against a blue-haired Mars warrior. They started to circle each other, glaring. Finally, the blue-haired man launched himself and kicked the Venus man in the stomach. The Venus man landed on his back, in the dirt. The blue-haired man began to punch him, over and over again. He finally passed out, and the blue-haired Mars warrior was declared winner. The next match was between a black-haired Jupiter man and a blond Mars woman. She started the fight by jumping forward and punched him in the face as she swung her right leg into the back of the Jupiter man's knees. He fell forward, rolling to his left. As he rolled, he tripped the woman. She hit the dirt, face first. The Jupiter man jumped up and grabbed her hair, pulling mercilessly. She screamed, her face contorting with pain. She jumped back into the man, throwing him off balance. As he fell backwards, she flipped back, landing on her feet just above his head. She took the opportunity to pummel his face until he blacked out. She was declared winner. The whole day was filled with interesting combat. They even saw Kanler, the warrior Santur had fought. Though he was good with a sword, he couldn't kick to save his life. He went down in a matter of seconds.  
  
At the end of the day, they ate supper at a nice steak restaurant, then headed back to their camping area. On the way, they met Kanler. He wasn't as dissapointed as one might think. He was very optomistic about next year, saying he would train even harder and make it through the first few rounds at the next Colosso. They set up camp and went to sleep.  
  
Over the next five days, they woke up early every morning and managed to get the best seats. The next day was light blade combat. The day after was staff combat. The next three days were mace combat, then dagger, then axe. The day after was the Psynergy finals. It was amazing. The combatants were stripped of all their armor and weapons. They had to make their way through several stages, each involving various puzzles and each containing a helpful item (i.e. a vial, a nut, etc.) The first person to make it to the final stage got first pick at two armors. It was awesome watching the power of experienced Psynergy warriors in combat. What was even more amazing was that the blue-haired Mars man and the blond Mars woman blasted all competition out of their way. By noon, they had eliminated all other competitors and were preparing for the final match against each other. Finally, the bell rang. They shoved, jumped, and blasted their way through each stage, coming to the arena at the exact same time. The woman was faster, though. She dove for the better armor, leaving the blue-haired man with a light mail suit. After donning their armor, they began the match, each casting Inferno on each other. The fireballs hit at the same time. They jumped up and started circling, blasting off an attack every fifteen seconds or so. This continued for forty minutes and showed no sign of ending. Though they were of the Mars Element, they had both taken time to learn the healing skills of Mercury.  
  
At eight oh clock, the match was declared a draw. Both competitors shook hands, smiling. They shared the championship that year. After the closing ceremonies, people started to file out of the colosseum. The two winners were on the right side of the exit, and the two contestants who had lost against them were on the left. Many people stopped to shake the hands of the winners. Santur and Meron waited their turn to do so. Santur walked up to the blue-haired man. "Congradulations! It was a fantastic match!" he said as he shook the man's hand. "Thank you. I've trained hard to..." he trailed off, looking at Santur as if he knew him. He narrowed his eyes. "Thank you." Santur walked away, wondering about the bizzare behavior. He met up with Meron, only to find that the blond Mars woman had shaken her hand, then started to glare at her. They found Brigg and told him about it. "It might just be that they've had a long day, or it could be something else. In any case, don't sweat it." They walked over to a restaurant and had a large supper, knowing it was their last chance to eat in Tolbi for the year. They then headed outside of town and set up camp for the last time. "Gandas," Brigg said as they sat around the fire, "it's been awesome meeting you and fighting together. We should set up a meeting place so that next year we can find you." "I'll just wait at the Kalay docks. Look for me on that bench next to the ticket building. I'll wait there for you next year. Be there three days before Colosso starts. And it was cool getting to fight with you." Gandas responded.  
  
The next day, they all went and bought some souvenirs at the local shops. Then they all went to the western coast to wish Gandas a safe trip back. They went to the beach, but the only ship there was an expensive Psynergy ship. "Gandas," Meron asked, "where's your ship?" "That's it." he responded, proudly pointing at the Psynergy ship. "Wow! Where'd you get that?" asked Brigg. "My father bought it a few years before he died. He taught me how to sail it. When he died, it was passed on to me." They all went aboard and toured the inside. It was amazing. They even visited the power room where the Black Orb that controlled the ship was located. Then they headed back to the deck and said goodbye. Brigg shook his hand. "Wonderful to get to know you, Gandas. See you next year, and take care of Scorch." "I will." Gandas replied. Santur shook hands with him, and Meron hugged him. "Thanks for helping save that passenger ship." "No problem." They got off the ship, then watched as he sailed it off into the horizon. After that, they headed back through town to the Tolbi Docks and bought a fare on a passenger ship to Kalay. Two weeks later, they were home in Lunpa.  
  
Well, that's another chapter down. And to think that this went up the day after the first one. Wow. Drop me a line at amesmoose@mooselake.net. Subject needs to be 'Chronicles of Weyard'. Let me know of any inconsistencies or typoes. Thanx.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
5/17/03  
  
3:30 PM  
  
22 paragraphs  
  
250 lines  
  
3068 words 


	3. Interlude

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 3: Interlude  
  
On the return trip, they had managed to find and capture a Venus Djinni named Bane. Brigg was overjoyed. He and Bane became close companions and powerful partners in battles. Bane was a powerful ally to have. They also found another Jupiter Djinni named Squall. They used their Djinn in almost every battle they ran into. Santur was becoming more powerful by the day, amazing everyone by his skill and ability to learn new Psynergy.  
  
Over the next three years, Santur continued to train whenever he could. Meron soon began joining him during his training sessions. He started traveling to various towns, challenging the local warriors to battles. Some of them he lost, but many more he won. At one time, he had the opportunity to witness one of the most interesting battles he had ever seen. It took place in Vault between a member of the local guard unit and a drifter who was stopping by town for supplies. During the middle of the battle, the drifter held up his axe and it burst into flame around the edges. He managed to win the battle with this advantage. This inspired Santur, and he tried for weeks to set his weapon on fire. He could heat it and shoot flames around it, but he could never cause the flame to come from the weapon itself. Brigg was suprised that he could even summon flames, being that he was Jupiter. But Santur was no normal wielder of Psynergy. He was the most talented person Brigg had ever trained! But he still couldn't create a flaming weapon. He traveled to Vault one day, looking for the drifter. He was told that the man had mentioned something about going to Bilibin. He went home and asked his parents for permission to travel to Bilibin. They allowed him two weeks. That would be plenty of time to travel there, find the man, question him, and travel back. It would only take him four days to travel to Bilibin if he paid the toll and took the shortcut under the mountains. If he decided to travel over the mountains, it would cost him two days each way. He grabbed some coins and headed off to the cave.  
  
Two days later, he was at the Goma Range shortcut. It was a cave that ran under the mountains. It had been there as long as anyone could remember, and was much quicker and easier to travel through. There were only two problems: there was a toll, and it was infested with vicious creatures. By the time he was halfway through the cave and working on his eighteenth battle, he was regretting not inviting Meron and Brigg along. He finally got tired of swinging his sword at the large bat and flung a powerful bolt of static electricity at it, sending it fluttering to the ground. He dispatched it with a single swipe of his Ninja Blade and continued through the cave. Two hours later, he stepped out of the doorway and into the blinding sunlight. He sighed and sat down in the grass, feeling the breeze on his face. He loved the wind, and sat there for several minutes just enjoying it. He finally got up and continued east. At sunset, he set up camp and cooked his supper. He then built up a large bonfire and turned in. The fire would keep the creatures away from him. The next day, he got up and went scavenging. He returned an hour later with enough berries and wild greens to make a decent breakfast. He fried them up and started eating. Suddenly, he heard a noise. He stopped eating, his hand between the frying pan and his mouth with a forkful of vegetables on it. He looked around using his eyes, knowing that in a situation like this, it was wise not to move. He suddenly spotted a Jupiter Djinni peering out of a bush at him. He didn't want to scare it away, so he held still. He tried a new technique he had been practicing. He focused himself, trying to use his mind to send a message to Gust, who was quietly snoring on his shoulder. He finally succeeded in waking his companion, who immediately noticed the newcomer. Gust hopped off of Santur's shoulder, reforming at his normal size as he did so. He flew up to the other Djinni and began communicating with it. Santur held still, listening to the chirping sound that was their language. Several times during their conversation, the wild Djinni looked at Santur, then at Gust, who continued chirping to him. After twenty minutes of holding still, Santur was feeling very sore. He focused himself, trying to get Gust's attention. Gust finally looked over at him, waiting for him to say something. Suddenly, Gust understood and flew over to Santur. Santur read Gust's mind (their best way of communication) only to find out that the other Djinni, one by the name of Luff, had already been warned about Santur and that it wouldn't mind him moving. Santur laid down on his side, watching as Gust went back to talking with Luff. After another ten minutes of the two talking, Santur sat up and reheated his breakfast. He then continued to eat as the two Djinn chatted. Finally, he walked up to his Djinni. "Gust, I know you're having a great time talking to Luff, but we really have to get going." Gust chirped a goodbye to Luff, then rejoined Santur, perching in his usual place on Santur's right shoulder. Santur had broken camp while the two were talking, and was ready to go. He started walking away to the east when he heard a chirp from Luff. He turned around and started as the Djinni jumped into the air and dissolved into a stream of sparkles, reforming in the usual set position on the back of Santur's neck. He had a new companion and ally.  
  
He made it to Bilibin that afternoon and headed straight to the inn. He walked up to the innkeeper and inquired about the drifter. "That guy?" the innkeeper said. "He left this morning. Said he had some business in Kolima." "Did you catch his name?" asked Santur. "No, he didn't drop it. I usually don't ask about strangers who are just passing through." Santur left the inn and headed over to the local tavern. He walked in and got some lunch, then headed out of town. He walked southeast, along one of the many winding rivers of the area. He came to another tollbooth. This had at one time been a barricade to prevent people from proceeding past that point. Legend had it that people who passed that point were swallowed by the wrath of Kolima Forest, never to be seen again. At some point, this curse had been ended, and the barricade removed. Several years later, the mayor of Bilibin, Lord McCoy, had decided to set up a tollbooth there. Unfortunately, Santur didn't have any extra money. He barely had enough to pay the toll at the Goma Range shortcut on his return trips. He would have to sneak past the booth or fight his way through. He finally hit upon an idea. He sent his three Djinn up to the booth. They began pestering the man running it, pulling his mustache and pushing him back and forth. While they kept the man busy, Santur snuck past. As soon as he was far enough away, he whistled for his Djinn. They flew over to him and set on him. The man ran after them, screaming with rage and spewing a very colorful stream of words that could have stunned a golem. He ran around the corner where Santur was and stopped short as he noticed the boy. "Did you see those little winged creatures fly by?" he asked. Santur shook his head and started walking away.  
  
He camped just a couple of miles south of Kolima that night. During the night, he heard a snuffling noise outside his tent, followed by a low growl. He lay still, hoping that whatever it was would ignore him. It didn't. He heard a low roar as a set of claws came slashing through the tent wall. The tent was designed to fit one person and was very small. The claws missed Santur by less than an inch. He jumped up and held out his hand, creating a large whirlwind that picked up the creature, which turned out to be a decent-sized bear. Santur flung it back with the whirlwind, then drew his Ninja Blade with his left hand and his Assassin Blade with his right. The bear slammed into a tree, momentarily stunning it. Santur jumped for it, landing on its back and plunging his sword into it. Unfortunately, this just got the bear more angry. It jumped up, grabbing at its back in its effort to get rid of Santur. It finally grabbed him and flung him full force into his campfire. He screamed, rolling out of the flames and casting Douse on himself. He rolled to his knees, then flung himself aside as the bear came charging at him. He jumped up, then launched himself at the bear, burying his sword in its shoulder. It roared in pain, grabbing at Santur. It grabbed Santur and whipped him over its shoulder, slamming him to the ground. The bear raked Santur's right shoulder with its claws. Gust jumped off of Santur, unleashing powerful wind strikes at the creature. Squall followed suit, stunning the bear just long enough for Santur to gain his feet. As the bear regained its senses, Santur decided to try a different approach. He used a whirlwind to pick himself up as the bear charged again. Once he was twenty feet off the ground, he released the whirlwind and dropped onto the bear, stabbing his sword into the bear's left shoulder. His sword disappeared up to the hilt into the raging animal. It screamed in pain, staggering under his weight. He leaned to one side, sending the animal to the ground. Being merciful by nature, he pulled his sword out of its shoulder and put the blade through the creature's heart. It died almost instantly. Santur went limp as he passed out from blood loss. He didn't feel himself hit the ground.  
  
He was in water, peacefully swimming. He was full of energy, and pain-free. He heard a voice calling him, but couldn't see anyone. In fact, he couldn't see anything. He could just feel the water. He called out to the voice, but received no answer. Suddenly, he was aware of someone else's mind probing into his. Someone was trying to talk to him. He used Mind Read, and started to get a clear message. "Santur, are you all right?" the voice asked. "Yes, I think so. Where am I?" "You're laying on the ground, unconscious. Try to wake up." the voice replied. Santur tried his hardest to stir, and finally started to gain consciousness. The water faded, and piercing light came to him as he opened his eyes. There, leaning over him, was Meron. She was overjoyed as he woke up. "Oh Santur! Thank God you're all right!" she said as she threw her arms around him, weeping from relief. "I thought you were dead." "What happened?" he asked. She replied, gesturing at the bear carcass lying fifteen feet away. "I don't know, but I think that carcass has something to do with it. Your sword is embedded in it." Santur started to get up, but quickly laid down again as a wave of dizziness overtook him. "I was attacked, and managed to kill the bear, but it slashed my shoulder up pretty good. After that, I don't know what happened." Suddenly, realization hit him. "Meron, how did you get here? I thought you were back home in Lunpa." "I was," she replied, "when suddenly Gust and Squall flew in. The picked me up and flew me here. I didn't realize they could fly so fast! They started searching the forest when that other Djinni flew up and pointed them down here. They landed me next to you. When I saw the condition you were in, I pulled out a couple of vials I had with me. I poured one on your shoulder and got you to drink the other one. You came to as soon as I established a mind link." Santur listened, then asked "How did you use Mind Read?" "Remember, Mercury and Jupiter share a symbiosis, so I can use some of your Psynergy. By the way, who is that new Jupiter Djinni?" "His name is Luff. He found me yesterday and decided to come along for the trip." Santur replied as Meron started to cast Ply Well on him. Immediately he felt his strength returning. "Well, as long as you're here, you may as well come along for the trip. Do you have anything packed?" he asked. "No, the Djinn didn't give me time. They just grabbed me and flew me away. It's a good thing, too. You wouldn't have lasted long." she said as she inspected his shoulder. "Hmm...You'll have a big scar, but there isn't any permanent damage, fortunately." "Thanks, Meron. I'm glad you're here to help me finish off this trip."  
  
Santur dressed out the bear, taking the prime cuts for himself and leaving the leftovers for whatever scavengers might find them. He and Meron managed to reach Kolima that afternoon. They immediately went to the inn and inquired after the stranger. The innkeeper directed them to the room he was renting. They walked started to walk up the circular stairs. Kolima was a unique town because all of the buildings were built into trees. Originally, this made for small houses. But since the power of Alchemy had been unleashed, the trees had grown to giant proportions and rooms were actually carved into the branches! Santur walked up to the door and knocked. The door opened and the stranger stepped out. "Can I help you?" he asked them. "Yes," Santur replied, "you can. My name is Santur and this is my friend Meron. You passed through Vault a while ago and battled a member of the local guard. During the fight, you somehow used your Psynergy to set your weapon on fire. I am skilled with Psynergy myself, but could not make a weapon burn. I can spray flames on the blade, but that only heats it. I have tracked you through the Goma Range and Bilibin to here. I earnestly want to know how the flaming weapon works." The stranger looked Santur over before replying. "My name is Goman. I am a Mars warrior by birth. You appear to be Jupiter. Why does fire interest you so much?" Santur thought the question over. "I'm not just interested in Jupiter. I'm interested in all Psynergy, and quite skilled with it, too." Goman replied, "Would you mind proving that?" "You're on." Santur replied, grinning.  
  
The match took place outside of Kolima. They used no weapons or armor, just Psynergy. Santur started the match with a powerful whirlwind, throwing the stranger into the air. He landed quite well, though. He responded with an Eruption attack, which seriously scalded Santur. They battled like this, turn by turn, for fifteen minutes. Finally, Goman held up his hand. "You have proven your worth with Psynergy. If you will kindly ask your Mercury friend to heal us, I will test your other skills." Santur politely asked Meron, and she used Ply on both of them. "Next," said Goman, "I will test your speed. The first one back to my room in the hotel in Kolima wins. Go!" said Goman, starting off at full speed. Santur launched off, managing to get up next to Goman, who was a very skilled sprinter. The suprise came when Goman came to the hotel. Santur started to head for the door, but stopped as Goman started climbing up the wall, only climbing isn't the right word. He was running like a cheetah, pulling himself forward with his arms, then launching with his feet. The amazing part was that he was able to grip the tree, and was running like it was a flat surface. Santur stared, then realized that he was going to lose if he took the stairs. He ran out underneath the branch where Goman's room was, then held up his hand. A whirlwind picked him up, rocketing him up past Goman, who was shocked to see he was losing. Santur reached the branch first, with Goman as a close second. Goman was more amazed at being beaten than Santur was at watching Goman climb. As soon as they got into the room, Santur asked Goman about that special ability. "It's a special power unique to the Mars Clan. It takes years of training to develop, but is very useful once you know how. It's accomplished by gripping with the grooves in your skin. That's why I am barefoot: so I can grip with my feet. You can't hold still on a single spot for more than a couple seconds, but you can keep regripping as you run up a wall. It takes practice. Even I can't do it all that well. I have reached the point where I can climb on walls leaning towards me, but I can only do it up to about thirty degrees." Santur stood there, amazed. Here was a man who could not only cause weapons to burst into flame, but could also scale walls! He suddenly remembered why he had come there. "Goman, since I beat you in the race, can you now reveal to me how to make a weapon burn?" Santur asked. "That I can, my boy. Come here." He gestured Santur over to a table where a scythe was laying. "Look at this scythe." Goman said, gesturing at the scythe. "Do you see anything special about it?" Santur looked the scythe over, inspecting it closely. "Yes. There are very small holes, about the size of a grain of sand, carved into the cutting edge. They are space about an eighth of an inch apart." Goman smiled and nodded. "Yes. Those are the secret. That scythe is my current project, but I've already completed my axe. I use this tiny carving device to carve those holes in there. In fact, I have an extra carving rod, and you can have it. Use your Psynergy to guide it and drill these holes on the edge of your sword. After that is done, make an inlet hole in the handle. Connect it to the outlet holes. Then, during a battle, use your Psynergy to spray this flammable liquid into the inlet." he said, gesturing at a container of liquid. He then showed Santur how to focus his Psynergy to make the liquid. After that, they sat down and talked for a while about various things. Santur and Meron finally said goodbye and headed out of town. They were back in Lunpa in a few days.  
  
"Meron!" Brigg exclaimed as they walked into Lunpa. Meron's parents also came running up, her mother weeping at the sight of her return. They questioned her about what happened, and she explained that the Djinn had picked her up and carried her to Santur, who was in desperate need of medical care. They all ate supper at Santur's house that night. The next day, Santur started working on his Ninja Blade, using his Psynergy to guide the tiny carving rod as it bored tiny holes in his sword. Two weeks later, he went over to Brigg's house. He knocked on the door and told Brigg to follow him. They walked out behind the house and Santur drew his sword. He held it in the air and it burst into flames.  
  
Well, that's another chapter down. What do you think? I think it's getting good! I'm having a great time writing it, and would love to hear your comments. Here's my email: amesmoose@mooselake.net. Drop me a line some time! Gotta run.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
5/24/03  
  
5:47 PM  
  
20 paragraphs  
  
263 lines  
  
3378 words 


	4. Freedom

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 4: Freedom  
  
This was it! It was Santur's birthday, and he was finally sixteen! 'Wow! Now I can finally become a Psynergy warrior and even an Adept!' he thought as they had a celebration dinner. Only a few people were there: Santur's family, Meron and her family, Santur's grandparents, and Brigg. Meron was there because this was a joint celebration for her and Santur, being that her birthday was only two weeks after his. After the dinner, they had cake. Then the adults sat back at the table and drank coffee while the teens went outside and walked around. Santur's little sister, Ganor, played with Meron's little brother, Jacob, also referred to as 'the messy demon' by Meron. He was not the cleanest little boy around. Santur and Meron walked out behind Santur's house and started practicing Psynergy. Meron started throwing ice spikes around while Santur turned a patch of grass brown with his Plasma attacks. Santur held up his sword as it burst into flames. Meron took the mace Santur had made for her and held it up into the air. Each of the points on the mace started shooting out flames. It was a Glass Mace, made of a special green glass that Santur had figured out how to make. It was very durable, and had the channels in it for the flaming liquid that caused it to burn. After hitting and parrying various blows to and from each other, they released their Djinn onto the nice soft grass. They both had a total of seven, which they had collected over the years. The Djinn started running around on the grass, playing with each other. Santur and Meron sat down in the grass, watching the Djinn frolic. "Boy, I wish that Gandas could have made it here." Santur said, staring off into the distance with a vacant expression. "Yeah, that would have been nice." Meron replied. Santur pulled out his only musical instrument, a small ocarina. He started playing a slow, relaxed tune while Meron pet one of his Djinn, Kite. After a few minutes, Santur ventured a question. "Meron, you and I have been traveling companions for years. We're both free now, and our lives are laid out before us, just waiting to happen. My current goal is to start traveling around Weyard, seeing all the famous towns and cities. After that, I want to either join an army or try to find the Land of Mist and become an Adept. Are you planning to come with me?" Meron sat back and thought for a few minutes before replying. "I might. I think I'll ask my parents and see what they think. I've been praying about my life's direction for a couple of years now. I might join you, but I'm not sure. My parents are mainly worried about me becoming a drifter, like Goman. I do want to become an Adept, but I'm not sure if I'm up to the challenge." "What else would you do with your life?" Santur asked. "I've thought about using my healing power to become a doctor. Or I might just get married and raise a family. But I never liked that idea as much, mainly because I don't like being tied down to one place for a long time. I like to be free, able to roam wherever I want. But for some reason, I feel drawn more to the idea of being an Adept. I feel like I have some great purpose to fulfill, something infathomably important. But I'm still not sure." Santur was suprised. He finally replied. "I've felt the same way about becoming an Adept. Like it's my destiny or something. Like if I don't do it, catastrophe will hit. Some days I feel like I have this great responsibility, like I have to save something." He sat back, not sure whether to continue or not. Meron could tell that he wasn't telling her everything. As Santur sat back against the house, she reached over and touched his hand. He bairly noticed it, but became more alert as he realized that she was reading his mind. He instantly redirected his thought. 'Hey, no fair.' She withdrew her hand and sat back. "Sorry, but I could tell you were hiding something from me." "Did you find out what it is already?" he asked. "No, I didn't find out. What is it?" "Well, it's a dream that I received a few days ago. It was like someone was watching me, searching me. Then something with one eye appeared in front of me. It looked sort of like a sphere, but everything was so dark I couldn't tell. It spoke to me, even though it didn't have a mouth. It said, 'Santur, soon you will be sixteen. You will be an adult, and will most likely pursue a life of Psynergy combat. That is the course I would recommend. Whatever you do, take care of yourself and don't get tied down. You are destined to be of great importance to Weyard.' I asked it what it was. It replied, 'I am one who has come to guide you. Don't worry, I am a friend and will not misguide or harm you. I am here to help you. Trust me.' He disappeared, and I woke up. Then last night he came back. He asked me how I was doing, and if I had any questions. I said I couldn't think of any, but then one came to me. I asked him why you can touch me and use Mind Read, being that you're Mercury. He said that you weren't just Mercury and I wasn't just Jupiter. He said that we are both truly Luna at heart, and we will discover how to use powers from both Elements. I'm expecting he'll probably come back every few nights. I'm not sure what to think of him. I think he's a friend, but I'm not sure." He sat back, thinking. Meron thought about it for a minute, then said, "Why don't you ask him who he is next time he comes." "I'll remember that." Santur replied. Suddenly they heard Meron's mother calling her and her brother, telling them that it was time to go. Santur stood up, then gave Meron a hand. "See you tomorrow." she said as she headed off to her house.  
  
Santur headed in and asked Brigg to join him outside. Brigg got up from his chair and followed Santur. Once out there, Santur and Brigg sat down on the grass. Finally, Santur started talking. "Brigg, I'm planning to leave home soon and Meron might come with me. Are you planning to come?" Brigg sat back, thinking. "When are you planning to leave?" "After the next Colosso. I'm hoping to meet Gandas there and talk to him about joining." Santur said as he pet Gust. "Why do you want me to come?" Brigg asked. "Because if we ever get into a tight battle, you'll be there to help. Also, because you always come along. Third, because you don't have any family to tie you down here. Fourth, because it will make my parents and Meron's parents feel much better to know that we have a real adult with us who has seen battle before." "That's a lot of reasons! I've actually been thinking about it. You're right, you should have a real adult along with you. But I enjoy my life of training kids here. I kind of don't want to go, but I also know I will enjoy the adventure if I do go." Santur sat back and relaxed for a minute before talking. "Do you have anyone you're currently training?" he finally asked. "No, not really." was Brigg's reply. "Then now is the perfect time to leave! You don't have any kids to disappoint!" Santur said enthusiastically. Brigg was suddenly quiet. He had never thought of it that way before. Santur was right, he could leave now and not have to stop training anyone. Finally he replied. "I'll sleep on it." "Thanks Brigg." Santur said as he helped the thirty-five year old man to his feet. That night Santur slept soundly, dreaming of heading off to Colosso and not coming back for a long time.  
  
The next morning after breakfast, Santur walked over to Brigg's house and knocked on the door. Brigg opened it and invited Santur in. They sat down and had coffee as Brigg told Santur his decision. "I've decided to come, not just because of the reasons you gave me, but because of a dream I received last night. A single eye opened up in the dark, looking at me. It spoke to me, telling me to come with you. It said it had been talking to you for the last few days. Have you seen it?" Santur was shocked. He explained to Brigg about the being, whatever it was, coming to him in dreams. They discussed it for a few minutes before Santur realized he needed to go tell Meron that Brigg had agreed to come along. He raced over to her house and was just going to knock when he realized that it was six in the morning and that the only other person awake in Lunpa was probably Brigg. He didn't want to knock on the door and disturb everyone. He stepped back and located her window. It was on the second floor, so he used a whirlwind to pick himself up. He had just knocked on her window when he noticed that she wasn't in bed. She was sitting at her desk, reading. She came over and opened the window, letting him in. "Thanks. Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you." he said. "Then why, out of curiosity, why are you here at six in the morning?" she replied. "I came here to tell you that Brigg has decided to come with us when we start traveling." Meron nearly jumped up and down with joy, but didn't when she realized that she was on the second floor and that any jumping would wake up anyone downstairs. "When are we leaving?" she asked. "We're heading off to Colosso. We'll meet up with Gandas and see if he wants to come. We'll plan from there." he replied. "Thank you, Santur." "Hey, no problem. Oh, I'd better be going. I should be back at my house for breakfast. See ya." he said as he jumped out the window into a whirlwind that set him down on the ground. He jogged home, changed into pajamas, then went back to bed.  
  
He woke up about two hours later and headed downstairs to a second breakfast. After that, he discussed with his parents when he would be leaving. They thought it was a good idea, but his mom still started crying a little. "That's all right, Mom. You'll still have Ganor here at home." "That's another thing, son. We're not sure how Ganor is going to take you leaving like this." his father said. "Dad, she's already used to me going on long trips. She'll probably not even notice. I wouldn't worry about it." Santur replied, trying to make his mother feel better.  
  
One week later, they were packed and ready to go. They each had a tent, weapon, provisions, clothing, and whatever small personal items they wanted to bring. They headed off to Colosso. They ran into many battles on the way, but most were small creatures, easily defeated. "I wonder where Goman is." Santur said one day as they were walking on the road that led to Kalay. "I've wondered about him, too." Meron replied. "He's just such a drifter. I ran into him once last year in Vault. He said he was just passing through. He stopped to get supplies, then headed off south. I wonder what he does for a living." Santur said, swinging his sword around. "He probably picks up odd jobs here and there." Brigg replied. "I wonder if he's a bounty hunter." Santur said. "Might be. Most of them are drifters. Bad thing is that most of them can't be trusted." Brigg replied. Suddenly, Brigg went flying back and landed on the ground. Santur and Meron looked at the source of the blow: Two fully-grown grizzlies. They both dropped their packs and grabbed their weapons. They each held them into the air as they burst into flames. The bears stepped back, unsure of how to proceed against the fire. Santur stuck his sword in the ground and then unleashed Kite. This doubled his speed, allowing him to grab his sword and jump over the right-hand bear. He landed behind it and stabbed his sword deep into its heart. He held his sword their as the bear roared in pain. Blood came gushing out of the wound, completely coating his sword and quenching the flames. The bear had, however, caught on fire. As it fell on the ground, Santur brought his sword down on the back of its neck, severing its spinal cord. It would feel no pain. The other bear had, in the mean time, started stalking Meron. They were both circling, unsure of who would strike first. Meron held up her hand as a thousand little spikes of ice buried themselves in the bear's skin. It roared in agony. Santur ran up behind it, intending to stab it. But the bear was too quick for him. It swung a paw back, sending him to the ground. He lay there dazed, unsure of were he was. The bear jumped towards Meron, clawing at her. She struck its paw with her mace, causing the fur to catch fire. The bear roared and came at her. She turned and ran, leaving her back open and unguarded. The bear took the opportunity, slashing the whole right side of her back into shreds. She screamed and fell on the ground, convulsing from the intense pain. The bear loomed above her, ready to strike a killing blow. It never got the chance. A massive sword struck its chest, hurtling it back. It sprawled on the ground. Santur had recovered by this time and came charging forward. He buried his sword in the animal's throat. It went limp.  
  
He ran over to where Brigg was casting Potent Cure on Meron's lifeless shape. He ran up to her. She was bairly breathing. The whole right side of her back was slashed open and blood was running everywhere. Santur grabbed a couple of vials he had and poured them over the worst two areas on her back. He then used Mind Read, hoping desperately to make contact with her. He managed to. 'Meron, are you there?' 'Yes, I think so. But I'm in such pain. Help me, Santur. It hurts so much.' 'Don't worry, Meron. Brigg is healing you right now. I've used the two vials I had with me. You're starting to look better.' 'Santur, what happened? I don't remember anything after the bear started charging me.' 'You ran away, leaving your back exposed. The bear slashed it really bad. You collapsed, and the bear was about to kill you when Brigg used Ragnarok on it. After that, I managed to kill it.' 'Thank you, Santur. When should I try to wake up?' 'Not yet. You'd only be in pain. Just wait until Brigg is done. I'm going to talk to him now.' 'Okay. After that, talk to me again.' 'Don't worry, I will.' With that, Santur broke off the mind link. He looked up at Brigg, who was still busy casting Potent Cure on Meron. "Is she still there?" he asked without looking up. "Yes. She's in pain, but she's still there. How's her back?" Santur asked. "It's slowly getting better. She should make it. Do you have a needle and thread?" "Um, Brigg, I don't sew. Why do you need it?" "To sew her back up. I have some experience. Establish a mind link. Tell her that she's doing okay, and ask her if she has a needle and thread." Santur promptly obeyed. He closed his eyes, focusing on her. 'Meron, are you there?' 'Yes. Am I okay?' 'Brigg says you should make it. He says you're doing okay, but he needs to know if you have a needle and thread. He needs to sew your back up.' 'Yes, it's in the right pocket of my pack.' 'Thank you. He'll get to work right away. I'm going to break off now. Stay here.' 'Will do.' Santur broke off the link and walked over to her pack. He got the needle and thread and brought it over to Brigg. "Thanks. You may not want to watch this next part. It's not the prettiest sight in the world." "That's okay. I'll stay here in case you need anything." Santur replied. Brigg threaded the needle and started sewing the strips of flesh back together. He explained as he worked. "This will hold the skin together until it heals. Once it does, I'll have to take the stitches out." "Have you ever done this before?" Santur asked. "Yes, several times. Don't worry, I do know what I'm doing. She'll be very sore for the next week or two, but at least she'll live. Establish a link and tell her that everything is going well. She'll be scarred permanently, but she will heal. And tell her that she will live." Santur used Mind Read again and started talking to Meron. 'Meron, Brigg says that everything is going well. You will live and your back will heal, but it will be scarred permanently. Don't try to wake up yet.' 'Thank you, Santur. I'm glad Brigg knows what he's doing.' 'Me too. I never knew that you could sew skin back together. It's amazing to watch him do it.' 'I can imagine. The pain is starting to fade. Tell me when I should come to.' 'I'll do that.' Santur broke off to find Brigg finishing up. "She was very lucky, I'll tell you. Bring her around." Santur used Mind Read again and told Meron to wake up. She promptly began stirring. Santur grabbed her Djinni Dew and unleashed it on her. She woke up and started crying. "Santur, it hurts. It hurts really bad." she sobbed. "I know it does. Just hold still. We're going to wait here for the night. Hopefully you'll be well enough to travel tomorrow."  
  
They camped there for the night. The next day, Meron was able to walk. They broke camp and headed off to Kalay. Five days later, Brigg inspected Meron's wound. He walked over to Santur and said, "It's time for the stitches to come out. You have some sleep Psynergy. It's best if she doesn't know about it until it's over. Knock her out for me." Santur held up his hand as small particles rained down on Meron, who instantly collapsed on the ground. Brigg took a knife and started cutting the stitches and removing them. Ten minutes later he stood up and said he was done. Santur walked over to Meron and established a mind link. 'Meron, you there?' 'Yes. What happened?' 'Brigg said your stitches needed to come out. He had me knock you out. He said it would be best if you didn't know about it until it was over. That way you wouldn't have to worry. Try to wake up now.' Meron stirred and came to. "How are you doing?" Brigg asked her. "My back stings, but it's not bad." she replied. They continued their journey. Another week saw them in Kalay. They immediately went to the docks and found Gandas waiting for them. They bought tickets and sailed across the Karagol to Tolbi. On the trip over, they talked with Gandas about adulthood. He had turned sixteen the previous year, but had stayed at home to take care of his family. This year, however, his younger brother was old enough to start providing for the family. Gandas was now free to join them, and happily agreed to do so. He also wanted to become an Adept. Santur was overjoyed. Now they had a team of four, one from each Element.  
  
They arrived in Tolbi that evening. They camped outside of town for the next two weeks during Colosso. After that, they all headed off to the western shore where Gandas' ship was docked. Santur said that he would like to see Prox. Gandas happily agreed to take them there. They climbed aboard and Gandas took the helm. They were off.  
  
Boy, this chapter was a little longer than usual. Now's when the fun part of the story begins. And don't think that the only thing to happen is the quest for the Land of Mist. Don't forget the Gray Company ;^) Email your comments to amesmoose@mooselake.net. Please make the subject 'Chronicles of Weyard'. Thanx. See ya next chapter!  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
5/27/03  
  
1:25 PM  
  
19 paragraphs  
  
267 lines  
  
3498 words 


	5. Boat Boredom

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 5: Boat Boredom  
  
"I can not believe how incredibly boring this is!!!!!" yelled Meron. She was not used to long boat journeys. Brigg and Gandas had both been on many long journeys before, but the longest boat journey Meron had ever had was crossing the Karagol in a passenger boat. That took a few hours. They had now been out at sea for three days. Brigg was leaning back in his chair. Gandas was at the helm, making minor course corrections when necessary. Santur had made the discovery that he could use his Sleep Psynergy on himself and was snoring on the aft deck. Meron was pacing back and forth, taking an occasional break to whine about how bored she was. "Why don't you release your Djinn and play with them?" Gandas suggested. "Because they're all either sleeping or swimming in our wake. They're Mercury Djinn, after all. They love the sea." she replied. She finally lay down on the deck and started beating her head against it. "You could spend your time reading. It's an enriching activity, and will do less damage to your forehead." Brigg said. "Very funny. And besides, I've already read through the three books I brought along." Gandas thought for a minute before replying. "Why don't you head inside. I have several shelves of books in there." "Why didn't you say so?" Meron squealed, jumping up instantly. "Mainly because you didn't ask. Also, I kind of enjoyed watching you hit your head on the deck." Meron shot Gandas a powerful glare before heading off to the cabin door. "Geez, someone's touchy." Gandas said to Brigg, now the only conscious one within earshot. "Give her a break." Brigg said without opening his eyes. "She's never been confined to such a small area for such a long time. This is her first real sea journey. She just needs to learn how to throw her mind into slow motion. She'll get over it eventually. In the mean time, cut her some slack. I know exactly how she feels. My first few sea voyages almost drove me insane." Gandas looked over at Santur, who was lying facedown on the deck, snoring contentedly. "There are, however, some of us who are lucky enough to have sedating Psynergy. I'm sure Meron wouldn't mind napping if she could get to sleep." Gandas said. Meron promptly returned with a book and sat back. Kite flew over and perched on her shoulder, enjoying the story as well.  
  
After a few minutes, she paused and looked up. "Gandas, I'm sorry for yelling at you. It was pretty childish." "That's all right. It's not easy getting used to long days without activity. When sleepy-head wakes up, you can always talk to him." Gandas replied. "Oh, I don't need him awake for that." she responded. "What, he sleep talks?" Gandas asked with interest. Brigg cut in. "She wasn't talking about that. She was referring to her odd ability to use a preliminary Mind Read by touching someone's hand. It's saved both her and Santur before. I myself haven't quite figured out how she does it. It has something to do with Mercury's close relation to Jupiter." Gandas smiled as he locked the wheel in place. He grabbed a chair and dragged it over next to Brigg. "How does that work?" he asked. "Like this." Brigg replied, holding up his hand. Gandas' chair started to scrape across the deck as Brigg used his Psynergy to shove it back. After a couple seconds, he dropped his hand and continued. "Move is really a Mars Psynergy, but it's so basic that almost all Venus people have it, and a few Jupiter and Mercury people have all mastered it. You see, the four Elements are all related. They all have their roots in Alchemy, sort of like siblings. They have different abilities, but no ability is really unique to a certain Element. Every type of Psynergy can be mastered by anyone if they take the time to work on it. The more basic it is, the easier it is to learn. For instance, Move is one of the simplest Mars Psynergies there is. That's why pretty much anyone can learn it. Mind Read is also a fairly simple Psynergy, and since Mercury and Jupiter are so close, Meron is able to use a primitive form of it. Remember, she still has to join hands with whomever she wants to read, and the other person can usually read her mind while she's doing it. As I said before, basic Psynergies are much easier to master. Now if she were to try and master Whirlwind, she would bairly be able to conjure up a breeze. An effort to use ray would result in a static zap about as powerful as rubbing your feet on carpet. She would have to work for months to even get close to using Wind Slash. But Mind Read is simple enough to where she can use it. And it's not just limited to Jupiter and Mercury. If you, Gandas, were to try, you could probably use Quake. I can already use Flare, but it takes a lot of effort." Gandas was suprised by how much Brigg knew. "What about certain Psynergies that could be learned by using certain items?" he asked. "Those are legendary. No one has ever found one of those, but I'll tell you what I know. According to legend, there were certain items that allowed whoever wielded them to use a certain Psynergy, regardless of their Elemental disposition. A small brooch would supposedly allow the wielder to conjure up an explosive force and blast certain things to dust. Though anyone could use it, it was still affected by his or her elemental power. For instance, it would be pointless for a Mercury person to wield it. Mercury is too weak with fire to make any use of it. At the same time, there is also a legendary piece of Jade that allows the user to levitate. It would be useless to give it to you, Gandas. You would bairly make it an inch off the ground. Santur, however, could probably fly several feet off the ground. He would be able to move in midair as well. Supposedly, this ability can be achieved through meditation, but it's much easier if you have the piece of Jade. There is also another type of item that allows you to learn Psynergy. Supposedly, there are certain stone tablets that allow the person who touches them to learn a new Psynergy, permanently. So, unlike the items that you have to wield to use the Psynergy and you lose the ability as soon as you put the item down, these stones would allow you to use the ability whenever you wanted. But they only work on someone of the same Element as the Psynergy they grant. For instance, there was supposedly a stone that allowed Mercury people to drain standing water away. There is also a tablet that allows those who use Venus to disintegrate, temporarily, into sand. Unfortunately, that's all I know." He leaned back and closed his eyes again while Gandas pondered all he had just said. Finally, he spoke again. "Meron, can you come here for a minute?" Meron put her book down and walked over, leaving Kite to read it. "I'd like to see you use Mind Read on me and see how well it works." She nodded and joined hands with him, closing her eyes. "You're thinking about your hometown, Prox. About your family and friends. Wait, now it's about a special someone, but I don't know who. I can't tell beyond that." She separated her hands from his. "It works much better with someone who is Jupiter and already has the ability." "Thanks. I was just curious." he said, getting up and walking to the helm.  
  
She walked over to where she had put her book down, but saw that Kite had fallen asleep on top of it. Not wanting to disturb him, she walked over to where Santur was collapsed on the deck. She sat down, leaning against the wall that supported the poop deck and tried unsuccessfully to go to sleep. After five minutes, she opened her eyes and, for lack of anything better to do, grabbed Santur's hand, reading into his dreams. She slumped back against the deck, her vision fading around the edges as sleep overcame her. She suddenly felt like she was falling, falling from a great height, the wind rushing by her. Then she realized that she was really flying, arms stretched out. Then she saw Santur flying next to her. He startled as he saw her, then tried to say something, but the wind was too loud. Finally he signaled for her to follow him. He dived down through the clouds, the land approaching fast. He swerved at the last minute and landed gently on his feet. Meron followed his example, landing about five feet away. "Meron, what are you doing here?" he asked, not sure what to think. "Well, I was on the deck of the ship, listening to Brigg lecture Gandas on using Psynergy outside of your own Element. He explained how I could sort of use Mind Read. Afterward, he went to sleep and Gandas had me read his mind, just to prove it. Then I got bored. Kite fell asleep on top of my book, so I came over next to you. I couldn't get to sleep, so I decided to join you in your dream. I hope you don't mind." "No, that's fine. If you want your own dream next time, just wake me up and I'll put you out. I know how boring it gets on the ship." he replied. "Thanks. Say, what were you dreaming about before I butted in?" she asked. "Well, I was" Santur began, but was cut off as they both started to see sparkles all around them. The dream started fading. Someone was waking them up. They both opened their eyes to find Gandas shaking Santur. "Get up! We've got a giant squid to deal with!" he shouted. Sure enough, a giant tentacle reached over the deck, grabbing for whatever it could reach. Santur and Gandas both drew their swords as Meron grabbed her mace. Santur and Meron both set their weapons ablaze as the three of them charged at the tentacle, hacking at it madly. "Where's Brigg?" Santur yelled, trying to stay out of the way of the tentacle grabbing him. "He's going for the head." Gandas replied, plunging his weapon into one of the many powerful suckers on the underside of the tentacle. "I think I'll go join him. Meron, stay and help Gandas." Santur said, heading off to the side rail. He looked over. Brigg was having a tough time defeating the head. He had already used Ragnarok to chop off several tentacles, but he couldn't defeat the head. Santur used a whirlwind to pick him up and fling him out of reach of a tentacle that would have had him otherwise. "Brigg," Santur yelled, "go help Gandas. Send Meron over here fast!" Brigg nodded and ran off. Santur instantly set up an aura to protect himself as he prepared to kill this loathsome thing. Meron ran up, her mace burning. "What do you need?" she asked. "Channel your Psynergy to me!" he said. She obeyed, sending all her power into Santur. A huge whirlwind started to form around the creature, slowly picking it up. Santur was too busy sustaining the whirlwind to yell at Brigg and Gandas. He flashed a quick message to Meron, who instantly relayed it to them. "Guys, Santur's going to fling this thing to kingdom come. Get that tentacle chopped off or it'll take us with it!" They signaled OK, then hacked all the harder at it. They finally managed to separate it from the squid. They yelled over the din and succeeded to get Meron's attention. They signaled OK, and she tried to tell Santur. Even without all the background noise the squid was making he wouldn't able to hear her. He was completely focused on sustaining the whirlwind. She grabbed his clenched fist and mentally gave him the signal. She then focused all her Psynergy into him. The whirlwind started to get stronger. The water around the squid became very turbulent, and the animal itself started to lift off the surface. Suddenly, the turbulent waters hit the ship, nearly capsizing it. Gandas jumped over to the wheel and began struggling to keep it under control. Brigg ran over and helped Gandas keep the ship afloat. Santur was drenched, not with seawater, but with his own sweat. He had never focused like this. The whirlwind picked the creature up off the surface. Its altitude kept increasing. Soon, the squid was eighty feet above them. Santur sent Meron another message. 'Give me everything you can muster. And fast!' She focused intently, boosting his power. Suddenly, the whirlwind lurched to the side and dissipated. The squid was flung several miles before landing in the water with a tremendous splash. Santur screamed. Just like he had never focused like this, he had never had to bring himself out of an intent focus like this. And the pain that accompanied it was unlike any he had ever experienced. He snapped back to reality and collapsed on the deck, writhing. Meron touched his hand and attempted to read his mind, but was thrown back, screaming from pain. She quickly took his Djinn and set them to herself, allowing her a little more control over her minor skill with Jupiter. She immediately cast Sleep on him. His moaning diminished as he fell asleep. Brigg and Gandas had just gotten the ship under control. They came running up. Meron, who was still shocked from the pain she had just gone through, was bairly coherent. She mumbled through what had happened. Brigg, noticing how much fluid he had expelled through sweat, tried to get the unconscious figure to drink some water. Santur was dehydrated. He had sweated to the point where it looked like he had been caught in a storm. Gandas started massaging his back, trying to get Santur's muscles to relax. Meron mumbled something about helping him as she grabbed his hand. Her vision instantly started to fade.  
  
She and Santur were in complete darkness. Suddenly, she heard a hissing scream. A ghoulish ghost-like creature was diving at her. She screamed and ducked as it flew by her. Suddenly, she felt like she was being squeezed. She couldn't breathe. She wanted to scream, but had no air left in her lungs for that. Suddenly, the pressure was gone. She could breathe. She screamed as an arrow landed in her shoulder. Blood started flowing all over her. Santur was having a really bad nightmare. She yelled out to him that it was over and that he was all right. The pain vanished. Everything faded to white. Then, she saw him, simply standing there. She ran up to him and embraced him, happy to find him intact. Santur looked at her. "What happened?" he asked. "The squid. After you flung it away, you collapsed, moaning and writhing. I borrowed your Djinn so I could knock you out. Brigg and Gandas are trying to help you right now. You've expended vast quantities of liquid by sweating. Try to wake up if you can." Santur nodded and closed his eyes. The dream started to fade.  
  
Brigg was the first to notice the slight movement in Meron's sleeping form. Suddenly, she sat up and opened her eyes. She looked at Santur, who was starting to moan. She shook him, and suddenly his eyes opened. He smiled at her. "Thanks." he said, taking the cup of water that Brigg was holding to his lips and draining it. "How do you feel?" Gandas asked, looking very concerned. "Completely drained. I've never felt so weak in my life." he replied. Brigg and Gandas picked him up and carried him in the cabin, placing him on the bed. He drank a half-gallon of water, then drifted off to sleep. Meron stayed in the cabin with him while Gandas went out to reset their course. Brigg started repairing the ripped-up deck boards. Meron hadn't realized how much of her own Psynergy she had drained boosting his. She started to feel very exhausted. Finally, she slumped forward off her chair, landing in a kneeling position at the side of the bed. As she collapsed, her hand fell forward, touching Santur's. She was soon dreaming with him.  
  
Brigg and Gandas came to check on Santur. They found an exhausted Meron slumped half on the bed, half-kneeling on the floor. "I guess she drained herself helping him out." Brigg said. He was grabbing a sleeping bag for her when he noticed that their hands were clasped. "She must've decided to check on him." Gandas said, noticing it the same time as Brigg. They walked out of the cabin, not wanting to disturb the two.  
  
Six hours later, Santur woke up. Meron, in the same dream as his, opened her eyes as well. They both got up. Meron hugged him. "I'm so glad you're okay." she said. "We were worried about you for a while." "I know. Thanks for checking on me both times. I'm glad you can use Mind Read." They both walked out on deck, where Brigg was nailing boards in place. They immediately noticed a change. Instead of open, endless ocean, there where chunks of ice, even small icebergs floating in the water. Santur asked Brigg about it. "We're in the northern reaches now. We'll reach Prox soon. Up here, it's much colder. Don't worry, you'll get used to it." They reached mainland the next day. After packing up their camping gear, they hiked out onto the frozen mainland. Two days later, they saw Prox. Gandas gave a cry of joy and started running at full speed, eager to be home.  
  
Well, whaddya think? That's another chapter. And I did it in a day, too! I did half of it without getting up (an accomplishment for someone as hyper as me.) Please review! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!!!!! Email is amesmoose@mooselake.net. Subject should be 'Chronicles of Weyard' Thanx.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
5/29/03  
  
9:29 PM  
  
18 paragraphs  
  
244 lines  
  
3073 words 


	6. Prox

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 6: Prox  
  
"Hey Gandas! Wait up!" Meron yelled over the howling winds. "Give him a break." Brigg yelled back. "He hasn't seen his family for months." Gandas was running at full speed, eager to see his mother and brothers one last time before embarking on his new career. Santur, Meron, and Brigg were doing their best to keep up with him, but none of them were used to running in knee-deep snow. They finally reached the town limits. Gandas ran onto a street that was, suprisingly, snow-free. The Mars Clan did a good job of maintaining their town. Gandas started dodging through back streets and alleys, taking every shortcut he knew. He eventually came to his house. He threw the door open and rushed in. His mother was sitting by the fire, reading to his youngest brother while his other young brother swept the floor and cleaned the kitchen up. At the noise of the door, his mother and brothers looked up. He ran up and embraced his mother, who was lost in tears. "Oh, Gandas." she sobbed. "We've missed you. We weren't expecting you to visit for several months more. I'm so happy to see you." "Me too, Mom. It's great to be home for a visit." He sat down in a chair and started playing with his youngest brother, who was also happy to see him.  
  
"Gandas," his mother queried, wiping her eyes, "why did you come back now? I thought you were going to try and get a job somewhere." "Yes, but then I decided to join my friends on their quest." he said, indicating his companions. "Are these the friends you told me about? The ones you met at Colosso?" she asked. "Yeah, they are. Oh, sorry. I haven't done the introductions yet. Mom, this is Santur, this is Meron, and this is Brigg. Guys, this is my mother, Jannel. This is my youngest brother, Stenar, and that's my second youngest brother, Josan. There. Now everybody knows everybody else." "So, what is their quest and how does it bring them here?" Josan asked. "We're all studying Psynergy, and eventually want to become Adepts. We're here because my friends wanted to meet my family. So, we took the boat back here. Oh, Mom. I'm so happy to be home. I" He was cut off as a rock came smashing through the front window. Jannel looked startled, then angry. "Who did that and why?" she said to no one in particular. Santur walked over to the shattered glass and picked up the rock. It had a note tied to it. He unfolded and read it. Meron watched as he gasped and turned ghost-white. His hands started shaking and he dropped the note. "Santur, settle down. Get a grip!" Brigg said. Santur clenched his fists, took several deep breaths, then turned around. "Gandas, stay here. Brigg and Meron, we need to leave. Now." "What is it, Santur?" asked Meron. He picked up the note and handed it to her. She read it, then handed it to Brigg. He looked at it. It read, 'We're coming to get you, Isaacen.' "Who's 'Isaacen'?" asked Meron. She paled as realization struck her. "The Gray Company!" she said, grabbing her backpack. Gandas looked confused. "What's wrong? What's the 'Gray Company' that you're talking about?" he asked. Brigg explained as quickly as he could. "They're a group of Alchemy fanatics, religious kooks, if you will. They're after Santur's life because they think he wants to seal Alchemy. They've already tried to kill him once, and they're going to try again tonight. Gandas, stay and protect your mother. Hopefully, they won't worry about you. But they will consider Meron and I a threat. If your night here is undisturbed, meet us at the ship tomorrow. We need to get out of here as fast as we can. If there's trouble here, stay in the house. If you're not at the ship by noon, we'll come back and help." Gandas opened his mouth to argue, but Brigg held up his hand. "No, Gandas. That's an order. This is for your family's safety." With that, they walked out of the door.  
  
They made their way through the blizzard to the outskirts of Prox. They were about to head to the ship when a very loud whistling sound was heard. Santur, being of Jupiter and having heightened reflexes and speed, bairly had enough time to duck as the arrow whistled through his hair. He spun around and projected an aura around himself and his companions. Within a half-second, a dozen arrows had hit it and clattered to the ground. The source was a group of fifteen men, all in Gray Company uniform. Brigg instantly held his hand in the air as a massive sword flew down into their midst, impaling two of them. The sword being a non-physical Psynergy attack, the wounds closed up as soon as the sword had driven itself into the ground. The two that had received the blow were unconscious, lying in a pool of their own mingled blood. That left thirteen assassins to deal with. Santur held up his hands and screamed, "Shine Plasma!!" A dozen or more lightning bolts struck four different men, knocking them out. Meron cast Deluge on the remaining killers. The water drenched them. Several of them laughed at the weak attack, but stopped their laughter when they realized the climate they were in. Their clothes started to freeze, rendering them immobile. Several of them started turning blue. As they started collapsing in the snow, hypothermia rendering them unconscious and half-dead, the four men who had been stunned by Santur's Shine Plasma rolled to their feet. One of them held up his hands as three little symbols spun towards Santur, Meron and Brigg. The symbols rested over their right shoulders, and they soon discovered that they couldn't use Psynergy. "Two can play at this game!" Santur yelled, unleashing Luff. In seconds, the same symbol rested over the four remaining assassins. The one who had first sealed Santur's, Meron's and Brigg's Psynergy smiled slightly before collapsing in the snow. He started shaking uncontrollably as he froze to death, his last bit of energy used to seal his enemy's Psynergy and revitalize his companions. Santur, Meron and Brigg drew their weapons, preparing for combat. Santur held his sword up in the air before remembering that the flames that normally engulfed it were a product of his Psynergy. He snarled, lowering his non-burning sword into a combat position. The assassins each drew a two-foot shortsword. They lined up, each assassin pairing with one target. Everyone stood still, glaring at their opponent. Then one of the assassins uttered a battle cry. The three members of the Gray Company charged, and the fight was on.  
  
Santur's opponent rushed at him, swinging his sword in the air, trying to bring it down on Santur's head. Santur swung his sword up at an angle, parrying the blow off to the side. Santur continued swinging his sword over his head, giving him momentum for a backflip. As he spun in the air, his opponent rushed forward, stabbing at him. Santur parried the blow while landing. He used his sword's momentum to swing it around and hit the assassin's right side. His opponent responded with a heavy "Oof!" and fell sideways, rolling to his feet. He launched at Santur, who bent forward. His enemy landed on Santur's back as Santur stood up, throwing the assassin back onto his head. Santur flipped his sword into a stabbing hold and brought it down towards the killer's head. The man rolled aside just in time, shoving himself up with his arms. Santur tried to jerk his sword out of the icy pavement in which it was embedded, but it wouldn't budge. His assailant came at him, preparing to bring his sword down in a cleaving blow to Santur's head. His sword met with Santur's Assassin Blade, which he still kept as a pocketknife. The sword was stopped when it slid down the side of the dagger and met with the hilt. Santur jumped up in the air, pivoting on his dagger so that it would remain in the same place. He reached the peak of his jump and fell, landing his feet on the flat of his opponent's sword. The killer was thrown to the ground in his effort to hold onto his blade. As soon as Santur's feet touched the ground, he pulled his dagger out from under the enemy's shortsword then swung it over his head, building up the dagger's momentum. He swung it in a full arc, landing it in the assassin's back. The man screamed in pain. Santur pulled his knife free and grabbed a vial. He was about to pour it in the man's wound, but the assassin gave one final effort, tugging his shortsword out from underneath Santur's feet. Santur fell on the ground, spilling the vial's precious contents all over the frozen pavement. The assassin attempted to stab Santur as he lay on the ground, but missed as he flinched from the pain of his wound. The sword met with the ground. The assassin stumbled, but managed to regain his footing. He saw Santur swing the handle of his dagger towards the man's head, attempting to knock him senseless. The would-be killer made one final move, swinging the point of his sword up to his own chest and throwing the handle to the ground. The handle of Santur's dagger met with the assassin's head, knocking him senseless. Santur saw too late what the man had done with his sword. He grunted from the blow, then fell to the ground, impaling himself on his own sword.  
  
Meron heard Santur yell and looked at him. He was trying to stop his opponent from killing himself. Meron felt a blow to her chest as her opponent landed his foot in it. She was knocked back into a lamppost, too dazed to parry the next blow. Her assailant stabbed his sword into her left shoulder, mere inches away from her heart. She screamed in pain as he withdrew her sword. He saw another chance and stabbed again, this time into her right shoulder. He withdrew his blade and prepared to strike again, this time aiming for her throat. She grabbed her mace, however, and parried the blow, striking his sword so that it instead clipped her left cheek and ear. He scowled at her and struck again, this time at her heart. She brought her mace down on his sword, knocking it down so that it impaled her left leg. By this time, Santur had picked himself up and grabbed his dagger. He issued a scream of rage as he saw his lifelong friend being impaled for the sole reason that she was his friend. He leaped towards the villain, intent on slashing him to pieces. The assassin had heard his cry, however, and whirled around as Santur ran up to him. He held his sword out in front of him. They met, Santur's knife stabbing the assassin's shoulder and the assassin's shortsword impaling Santur's stomach. Santur was too enraged to even notice. He pulled his dagger out and brought it down on his opponent's right arm, slashing the tendon and rendering his fingers useless. He started slashing at the man's face, driven by burning hatred. The man screamed in anguish and fell onto his back. Santur proceeded to stab him numerous times in the chest. It wasn't until he had stabbed the man nine times that he thought about Meron. The man was dead, no longer a threat. He turned to her. Her once-blue outfit was stained in three separate places with blood. He reached down to his tunic pocket to grab a vial when he noticed that he, too, was losing blood. That didn't matter. All he cared about was helping Meron. He grabbed the three vials that he had with him and poured one on each wound. The wounds began to close, but she was still unconscious from blood loss. He grabbed an herb and placed it in her mouth. It dissolved when it came in contact with her saliva. Her eyes fluttered open. She was okay. "Thank God you're okay, Meron." he said to her. "Thanks for helping me out." she said, weakly. Then she noticed how his abdomen was drenched with blood. She tried to cast Ply on him, but fainted from the exertion. He looked down at himself and tried to grab an herb. He had closed his fingers around it when he landed facedown on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Brigg, seeing this, was charged with adrenaline. He redoubled his attack, hacking and slashing at his opponent. The man went down. Brigg thrust his sword down, killing the would-be assassin.  
  
Santur woke up five minutes later to the bitter wind. Brigg was leaning over him and had just finished casting Cure Well on him. He looked at his stomach, but there was no wound. Brigg explained. "One of the killers had a potion on him. I used it on you. Quick. There are probably more of them. We'll have to carry Meron." They grabbed their weapons and packs and started heading for the ship again. Santur suddenly stopped, causing the stretcher with Meron on it to fall to the ground. "Santur, what is it?" asked Brigg. "I hear a voice." Santur replied. "I don't hear anything but this awful wind!" Brigg said. Santur didn't hear him. His mind was drawn by the voice that he could only hear in his mind. 'Very good job, Isaacen. Or should I say, Santur?' the voice said. 'My name is Santur. Who are you?' he replied, unaware that he was not only communicating telepathically, but also verbally. Poor Brigg heard only a one-sided conversation. 'My name is not important. I am the higher-up in the Gray Company that you very cleverly figured out. You're right. I'm just manipulating them. I don't actually believe their religion. But back to the point. You're probably wondering why I have set them against you.' 'Of course I am. Why?' Santur replied, trying to pry into his adversary's mind. As he tried, the voice began to sound different. Instead of the monotone that was commonly used to mask oneself in telepathic communication, the voice began to sound like that of its wielder. An old man, with a heavy, German accent. (a/n:yes, germany isn't in weyard. but it's the only way to describe it to you.) Santur tried to get an image of what he looked like. 'I have nothing against you personally, Santur. In fact, I have been watching you for the last few years, ever since you turned thirteen. I am fascinated by your skill, and do not really want to kill you.' Santur cut him off. 'Why are you trying to, then?' 'I am a businessman, Santur. Someone made me a tempting offer, and so I decided to take them up.' 'What offer?' 'A very large cash sum, but that's not important. What's important is the fact that I am willing to discuss this matter with you in person. Perhaps we can reach an agreement. Are you interested?' Santur was breaking through his defense, trying to get a picture of him. 'Sort of. Who hired you?' 'I myself do not know their names. All I know is that there are two of them, and they are very talented with Mars Psynergy. A man and a woman, if you want to know. Now, are you interested in your life being spared?' 'Sure. Where do we meet?' 'Come to Kalay. I'll give you more specific directions when you get there.' 'How do I know I can trust you?' Santur asked. 'Because I'm a man of my word. I don't really want you dead, and besides, if you refuse, there are plenty more assassins where these ones came from. You will die eventually.' 'I'm convinced. I'll go to Kalay if my companions agree.' 'Very good. I'm breaking off. I'll see you in Kalay.' Suddenly, as the communication broke, the man's defense went down. Santur got a brief image. He was old, dressed in a white coat and pants. He had very little hair, just some tufts that stuck out on the sides and a bushy mustache. Way out. About six inches, in fact. What hair he had was gray, in fact. Odd coincidence. Suddenly, Santur was brought back to reality by Brigg shaking him. "Santur, come on. We've got to get Meron out of this wind. The ship isn't far." Santur picked up his end of the stretcher and started walking again.  
  
They reached the ship twenty minutes later. Soon, they were inside the cabin, warming themselves at the stove. As soon as Santur could feel his fingers, he turned to Meron. He leaned over her, trying to see what condition she was in. She was breathing deeply, and appeared to be asleep. "Brigg, I'm going to check on her." Santur said as he sat down next to the bed, leaning his back up against the side of it. He closed his eyes and used Mind Read, instantly falling asleep. He was in a meadow filled with flowers. And there was Meron, walking around, enjoying the freedom. Santur walked up to her. "Meron, are you all right?" he asked, concern showing on his face. "Of course I am. Why do you ask?" she replied. Before he could reply, her expression changed as she remembered. "That's right, the fight. And the stabbing." she said, wincing at the very memory of it. "Are you all right? You used your vials on me, but I passed out trying to cast Ply." "Yes, I'm fine. Brigg took care of me. Right now, we're in the cabin on the ship. You're sleeping, so I decided to check on you." She smiled, appreciating the concern. "Thanks, Santur. I'm fine. Hey, now that you're in my dream, why don't we relax and enjoy it?" "That sounds great. Poor Brigg, he never gets to do this." Santur said, laying on the grass and enjoying its softness. It was so much better than the frozen tundra outside of Prox. Meron lay down next to him and stared at the clouds. They relaxed and talked for an hour or more. Finally, Santur realized that Brigg was probably worried. "Meron, I need to get up and tell Brigg that you're all right. I'll be back in a little while," he said, forcing himself to wake up. As he snapped back to reality, he noticed the time. What had been over an hour in the dream had been a mere five minutes. Brigg noticed him, then got up. "How is she?" he asked, hoping for the best. "She's fine. We were relaxing in a nice meadow when I realized that you were probably worried. I think she's going to sleep through the night, so I'm going to grab a cot and sleep here next to the bed. I told her I'd be back in her dream soon." Santur said, setting up his cot next to the bed were Meron lay, peacefully sleeping. Five minutes later, he said goodnight to Brigg and lay down on the cot. Brigg grabbed a sleeping bag and hit the floor. Santur used Mind Read and was soon relaxing with Meron in the meadow.  
  
The next day, Gandas arrived at the ship, packed and ready to go. Santur told everyone about his mental conversation with the old man. They all agreed to go to Kalay. Gandas said everything had gone peacefully at his house, and that he had already said goodbye to his mother. They shoved off and set course for Kalay.  
  
Wow, six chapters already! The last one made me search every crevice of my brain (or where my brain would be if I had one) to come up with a simple three thousand words. This one, I hit 3k easily. Whaddya think about me reintroducing the Gray Company? And has anyone figured out who the old man is? Email comments, suggestions, hate mail, top secret CIA information, etc. to amesmoose@mooselake.net. PLEASE REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanx.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
5/31/03  
  
9:12 PM  
  
19 paragraphs  
  
266 lines  
  
3390 words 


	7. The Race to Kalay

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 7: The Race to Kalay  
  
"Santur, what's wrong? You don't look so good." Brigg said as he prepared breakfast. "I saw him again. He told me to hurry up and reach Kalay soon, or his offer would expire. Oh yeah, he gave me his name, Albert." Santur replied, looking a little shaken. "Don't worry, we're going at top speed." Gandas reassured him, sitting down and grabbing a plate. "This ship will get you there on time. It's one of the fastest ones around." Santur looked around him. "Hey, where's Meron?" he asked. "Oh, she's up in the crow's nest, playing with her Djinn." Gandas replied. "Why do you ask?" "Oh, just curios." came the answer. "Are you sure?" Gandas teased. "Yes, of course I am. What are you getting at, Gandas?" Santur replied, slightly annoyed. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all, Santur." Gandas said in a teasing tone. "Gandas, knock it off." Santur said, more than slightly annoyed. "Knock what off, Santur? What do you mean?" Gandas replied with mock innocence. "Gandas, remember this: I may be a year younger than you, but I am much more powerful with my battle Psynergy. You're on thin ice. Don't push it." Santur replied, meaning every word of it. "Push what?" Gandas said. Santur snapped and held up his hand. Gandas didn't feel himself hit the deck as the sleep Psynergy overpowered him. "Santur," Brigg said, "you shouldn't lose your temper like that." "He pushed me too far." Santur carelessly replied, getting up and walking to the center of the deck where the mast was. "When he wakes up, don't remind him why he was sleeping. He probably won't remember the incident, and it's best that way." Santur said, starting his ascent up the long ladder.  
  
As he climbed through the small hole in the middle, he felt water drip down the back of his neck. He looked at the source of it, one of Meron's Mercury Djinn. It was just practicing Psynergy when Santur got in the way. He pulled himself up through the hole and sat down opposite Meron. He released his Djinn, then sat back and relaxed. "Are you all right?" Meron asked. "Yeah, just fine." he lied, still thinking about his argument with Gandas. "Santur, what's eating you? Don't say you're fine when you're really not." Santur thought it over carefully before responding. "It's just that Gandas was picking on me and I got mad and used Sleep on him. Now I feel bad about it because I really shouldn't have done it. It's just, I got mad and didn't think about it." He sighed and closed his eyes, thinking about it. "How was he picking on you?" she said, managing to pick the one question Santur didn't want to answer. "Um, well, us." he finally said. "Us? Oh, I get it. Don't worry about it, Santur. It's just something that he knew would get at you. He's probably just bored from the trip." she replied, trying her best to comfort her. They were interrupted by Gandas climbing up into the crow's nest. "Hi, guys." he said. 'Speak of the devil.' Santur thought to Meron. "Oh, Santur. About what happened ten minutes ago. Sorry, I shouldn't have picked on you." Gandas said, genuinely sorry. "That's fine. Sorry I knocked you out." Santur replied. Gandas sat down against the half-wall of the crow's nest. He didn't want to keep talking with Gandas there as a third wheel. He looked at Meron. She was starting intently at him, trying to get something through to him. He suddenly realized that she didn't want to continue the conversation, either. He promptly established a mind link. 'Better?' he asked. 'Much better.' she replied. 'You know, he's eventually going to catch on to us.' Meron thought. 'Yeah, so what?' was the reply. 'Santur, are these communications with Albert frightening you?' 'Yes, they are. He almost seems insane. He's got this crazy look in his eyes. I'm not looking forward to meeting him in person.' 'Hmm. I'm sorry that we have to, Santur. But don't worry about it too much. You'll have me and Gandas and Brigg there with you. I'm just wondering who hired him. How did he describe them?' 'Two Mars people, a man and a woman. He doesn't even know who they are. They just offered him a reward, so he took the job.' 'Weird. If I were a mercenary, I would want to know who my clients were.' 'Yeah. I'm glad that they're only after me and not any of you.' 'Remember, they did attack all of us.' 'That was probably just because you were with me.' "Oh, come on. That's not fair, using Mind Read." Gandas said. "Well, I guess I'll just leave you two alone for a while." he said, climbing down the ladder. Santur and Meron continued talking, this time verbally.  
  
In the middle of their conversation, a large shape flew over head. They both looked up. A small dragon had just flown over. Off of it jumped a man, obviously a member of the Gray Company. He landed on his feet in the crow's nest. "Time to die, Isaacen!" he said, drawing a two-handed dai-katana. "Can you be decent enough to allow her to leave the crow's nest and not be involved?" Santur said, indicating Meron. "No, she's a friend of yours. She has no right to live." he said, raising his sword. Santur acted quickly, kicking him in the stomach and relieving him of his sword. "Quick, Meron! Jump!" Santur said. She looked confused, but obeyed without question. She vaulted over the half-wall and into a waiting whirlwind that set her down on the deck. "Now, before we fight, let's talk for a minute." Santur said. "Why should I listen to you?" the man replied. "Because I have your sword. You can either discuss this with me or I can kill you where you stand." The man sat down, ready to listen. "First of all, you shouldn't condemn someone just because they're friends with your target. It's not her fault; she's been my friend all her life. Now, who runs the Gray Company?" "The Lord Albert does." "When did he start running the Gray Company?" "Several years ago. He came as a wandering prophet and started directing us." Santur laughed at that. The maniac sure had them convinced. "Albert is not a wandering prophet. He's an entrepreneur that saw the opportunity to take over the Gray Company and use it for personal gain." "That is not true. He is a prophet sent to guide us." "Whether you believe it or not, he is a fake. Now, where do you want to fight? Here or on deck?" "If you don't want your friends involved, I'd suggest we fight here." "Fine," Santur said, tossing the man his sword and drawing the Ninja Blade. He left it unlit, not wanting to set the ship on fire. The man charged him, swinging the incredibly long blade at Santur's left side. Santur jumped it with ease and brought the flat of his sword down on the man's shoulder. "Why do you hold back, Isaacen? Fight me with all your strength!" "My name is Santur!" Santur replied, jumping the blade again and bringing the flat of his Ninja Blade into the man's right side. "Fight, darn it! I wish to see how strong you really are!" the man shouted, attempting to bring the dai-katana down on Santur's left shoulder. Santur did a half-sideflip, turning over in midair and landing his feet just above the handle. The man let go of his sword to avoid slamming the floor. Santur smiled. He now had the advantage of being the only armed one. "You gain the advantage, Isaacen. But not for long." "Call me Santur!" Santur yelled, getting angry. He charged the man, trying to smack him in the side of the head with the flat of his blade. The man ducked, causing Santur to miss. As Santur spun slightly, the man locked him in a submission hold, throwing his arms above his head. He accidentally let his blade fall. It stuck into the deck of the ship. The man shoved Santur to the other side of the crow's nest, then grabbed his sword off the floor. Santur inwardly cursed. 'Why didn't I think to throw his sword over the side, darn it!' The man charged him, swinging the deadly sword. Santur backflipped out of the crow's nest and into a whirlwind. He also picked his opponent up in one, bringing them both to the deck. Santur grabbed his sword and smacked the man's head with it. The man stumbled and dropped his sword. Knowing that Santur wouldn't make the same mistake twice, he ran to the side of the ship and flung himself over. His dragon swooped and caught him just in time, bearing him away towards Kalay. Santur breathed a sigh of relief as he picked up the man's sword. "I was worried I would have to kill him." He looked over the sword. "I think I'll try this in combat." he said.  
  
Gandas was giving him a high-five when another shadow flew overhead. It was another dragon, and off it jumped another man. He gracefully landed on the deck and stood up. Santur sized him up. He was dressed in orange and white armor. He had sandy-blond hair, and wore a circlet that reached all the way around his head. He had no sword, but on the circlet was clipped a strange-looking device. It was fastened upright to the circlet, and looked to be a kind of blade. It was a metal disc with a wedge cut out of it. It looked like it could open and close, and the edges were definitely sharpened. "Greetings. My name is Cuman. I am one of Albert's right-hand men. I have been sent here to test you. Let's begin the battle." Santur, holding the dai-katana last battle, went into a defensive posture. Cuman grabbed the blade, unsnapping it from his circlet. He threw it at Santur who deflected it with a single swipe of his blade. Or should have deflected it. Santur hit the blade full-force, then watched as it flew right through his sword, cutting it neatly. The upper-half of the sword fell to the deck with a clang. The cutter had boomeranged and returned to Cuman's waiting hand. He smiled as Santur drew his Ninja Blade. "Nice sword you have there, Isaacen. But it won't hold up any better than the last one." "My name is Santur, darn it all!" Santur screamed. "Fine. I only called you Isaacen because I didn't know your real name. If Santur is what you prefer, then that's fine." he said, throwing the blade again. Santur knew that it would slice through his Ninja Blade like a warm knife through butter. Instead of swinging at it, he backflipped and dodged it. The blade returned to Cuman, who snapped it back onto his circlet. "You can't keep dodging it, Santur. You're going to have to fight eventually." "That's just a trick. I know you just want me to make a rash move so that you can cut me to shreds." Santur replied, trying to think of how he could beat this man. "Wrong, Santur. I said I was here to test you, not kill you. You may walk away bleeding and missing a few fingers, but you will survive." Cuman replied. Santur hit upon an idea. He could only project a protective aura around himself for a minute or so because of the size, but he could create and sustain a smaller aura around his sword. He closed his eyes, focusing. A shimmering field that bore a resemblance to a soap bubble encircled his sword. Cuman flung the cutter at Santur. Santur brought his sword up and slammed it into the cutter. The circular device went haywire, boomeranging rather erratically back towards Cuman, who reached out to catch it. He caught it with his right hand, but only at the expense of his little finger. They watched as he tried his best not to yell with pain. Finally, he prepared to throw the cutter at Santur again, but wasn't fast enough. Santur leapt forward and swung the flat of his blade at the left side of Cuman's head. Cuman ducked, causing the flat of the sword to miss his head, but the edge of the blade nicked the top of his ear. He held up his left hand. "You have passed the test as far as I'm concerned. This is the first time I've been more than nicked in battle. Allow me to bandage my hand and I'll be off. You'll see me again when you reach Kalay." he said, grabbing a bandage and wrapping it around his hand. Meron healed the wound and the bleeding stopped. "Why did you come here to battle me?" Santur asked. "Not because I'm an enemy. I was curious to see if you were really as strong as is rumored. You are. Please don't consider me an enemy. I'm working for Albert, not the Gray Company. Remember, Albert doesn't really want you dead. He'd prefer not killing you, it's just that he's being paid. In fact, he would like you to consider joining him. He can always use someone as skilled as you." "Why would I join him?" Santur asked. "Good pay, friendly workplace, good benefits, etc. It's a good job." "Living as a mercenary is a good job?" Meron asked. "Not as a mercenary. This is the first time he has ever accepted a job like this. He is not a mercenary. If you want more info, you'll have to ask him when you meet him in person. Now if you'll excuse me, he'll want an update on how the battle went. I can't wait to meet you in Kalay, Santur. Albert would love to hire you. Consider the offer as you travel." he said, climbing onto the back of his dragon and flying away. "Well, that was certainly weird." Gandas said. "Sure was. I'm curios about Albert, though. It'd be interesting to find out what he does for a living." Santur said.  
  
After that incident, Gandas pushed the ship to speeds he had never accomplished before. When he wasn't resting, Santur was at the power chamber, channeling his energy into the black orb that sat upon the stone pedestal. Meron spent some of her time helping him speed the boat along. Other times she would accompany Gandas at the helm, or watch Brigg pour over maps and plot their course, making corrections here and there to save time. She also kept the Djinn busy, playing with them and training against them. Her Psynergy power was reaching unusually high levels. One morning at breakfast, Santur seemed deep in thought. "What is it?" Gandas asked, noticing that he was troubled. "Oh, I had another dream last night. The one-eyed being came to give me guidance. He told me that Albert isn't really evil. He just accepted this job because he's running low on funds. He told me that Albert runs a very honorable business, one that needs to be done. He said I should consider joining him." Santur sat back and continued to think. "Was that all he said?" Meron asked. "No, he also told me that Cuman is recovering from the wound. There was no infection, and the only long-term effect is that he's missing a digit. That was it, though. I woke up after that." After breakfast, they went to their usual posts. Gandas manned the helm while Brigg checked their position. Santur and Meron walked down to the bowels of the ship, into the power room. There, on a stone pedestal, sat the black orb. Normally, it would be a reflective black color. But now that it was sitting upon the pedestal, it was surging with power. The black crystal at the center of it glowed white, emanating streams of Psynergy. Santur sat down and closed his eyes. The effect was felt instantly as the ship sped up significantly. Meron sat down next to him. Instead of directing her Psynergy towards the crystal that powered the ship, she reached over to where Santur was clutching his knees to his chest. She gently took his hand and established a link. 'Santur, are you all right?' 'Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do now. I now have two unknowns who have hired a maniacal-looking old man to manipulate a whole society of Alchemy fanatics into killing me for no reason. On top of that, these assassins are constantly pestering me, and now one of the old man's right-hand men has tried to kill me. Then, I'm offered a job with them. This being that comes to me in dreams advises me to join them. I'm completely confused. All my life I've wanted to become an Adept and then a warrior, but now I'm being told to join some old creep and do his dirty work for him. Everything is spinning around me and I have nothing to cling to. Everything changes constantly. What do I have that I can trust?' 'Santur, you have us. Gandas, Brigg and I will never leave you. Lean on us for support. We're here for you.' 'Thanks, Meron. I'll try.' With that, she broke the link and channeled her power into the glowing gem.  
  
The next day, they reached the river inlet that would lead them to Kalay. After sailing up it for several hours, they reached a suitable anchoring point. The dropped the anchor and hopped ashore. Another hour of hiking brought them to the outskirts of Kalay. As they walked into the city, Cuman stepped out from behind a building. He was wearing the circlet, but the blade was detached, probably so he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself He indicated for them to follow him, then lead them up to the palace. The guard at the gate moved to stop them, but then stepped back when he recognized Cuman. They walked inside the palace, admiring the craftsmanship behind it. Cuman lead them through a maze of hallways, up and down several flights of stairs, and finally to a large door. "Few people know about this place," he said, producing a key and unlocking the door. "No one comes this deep into the palace, so we're pretty much safe down here. And if they do come and get past this door, there's an ancient passage that leads to a cave just outside the city." he said, pushing the door open. "Now, come in and meet Albert." They walked in, fully alert. They looked around and gasped.  
  
Wow, what's gunna happen next time? You'll have to wait for the next chapter :^). Please start giving me some feedback, whether by reviews or by email (amesmoose@mooselake.net) because I don't really want to discontinue this, but I'm not really sure if anyone's reading it. Please let me know that you are. Thanx.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
6/4/03  
  
8:07 PM  
  
17 paragraphs  
  
250 lines  
  
3198 words 


	8. The Secret Service

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 8: The Secret Service  
  
Cuman stepped out from behind a building. He was wearing the circlet, but the blade was detached, probably so he wouldn't draw too much attention to himself He indicated for them to follow him, then lead them up to the palace. The guard at the gate moved to stop them, but then stepped back when he recognized Cuman. They walked inside the palace, admiring the craftsmanship behind it. Cuman lead them through a maze of hallways, up and down several flights of stairs, and finally to a large door. "Few people know about this place," he said, producing a key and unlocking the door. "No one comes this deep into the palace, so we're pretty much safe down here. And if they do come and get past this door, there's an ancient passage that leads to a cave just outside the city." he said, pushing the door open. "Now, come in and meet Albert." They walked in, fully alert. They looked around and gasped.  
  
The room they were in appeared to be some sort of control center. Several dozen people were there, working with different instruments, many of which Santur had never seen before. "This is the Alchemy Control headquarters." Cuman said. "It's where we constantly monitor Psynergy levels all around Weyard. I won't explain the purpose of it, though. I'll leave that to Albert." A few of the workers looked up as Cuman lead Santur and his friends past numerous consoles where people were busily working. He led them down the underground tunnel to a door that said 'Albert' on it. Cuman knocked. Santur startled as he heard the same voice that he had heard in his mental conversations come from behind the door. "Come in." Cuman opened the door and led Santur and his friends in. There, seated behind a desk that was covered in papers, was the old man that Santur had managed to catch a glimpse of. He looked to be somewhere in his sixties, but it was hard to tell. He had several tufts of gray hair sticking out from the sides of his head. He also had bushy eyebrows and a mustache. He wore dark gray pants and a white shirt, over which was a deep red tie and a white lab coat. He spoke with the same German-like accent that Santur had picked up in the mental conversations. "Have a seat, friends." he said, indicating the chairs in front of the desk. They sat down warily, not sure what to expect. "Hello. My name is Albert. I run the Alchemy Control Secret Service. May I inquire what your names are? I know Santur, but the others are strangers." Cuman stood up and introduced them. "This is Meron, his main traveling companion. This is Brigg, his trainer. This is Gandas, the owner of the ship they use. I assume that I need not point out their obvious elements?" "Correct, Cuman. Stand outside the door." Cuman obeyed, shutting the door behind him.  
  
"Now, down to business. I suppose you're all wondering what is going on, correct?" They nodded. "Then let me explain who I am. My name is Albert, and I am an Adept, in case you didn't notice." Meron looked confused. "What's wrong?" "You do have the birth mark below your right eye, but your pupils are just black. I thought that Adept's pupils change color according to their Element." "That is correct, young lady. They do. My pupils reflect my unusual Element. I am not of any of the four normal Elements. I am of the element of Luna, the parent Element of Jupiter and Mercury. I will explain that later. Back to the point. I have been placed in charge of the Alchemy Control Secret Service because of my great skill with Psynergy. Santur has already witnessed how I can create a mind link over incredible distances. The job of the Secret Service is to keep Alchemy and it's power under control. You see, no person is just of one Element. Everyone has the ability to learn abilities from other Elements. That in itself proves that no person is bound to one Element. Every person has the ability to become an Adept if they choose to pursue that goal. An Adept is merely a person who's Psynergy is powerful enough to pass the tests in the Land of Mist. But once a person becomes an Adept, they can continue to grow and train. If they work hard enough, they can gain the power of their Element's symbio. If they master their Element's sister Element, they can become a part of the Parent Element. For instance, Jupiter and Mercury share a very close symbiosis. They both have the Parent Element of Luna. Luna is really a combination of Jupiter and Mercury. Or rather, Jupiter and Mercury are split halves of Luna. Venus and Mars share a symbiosis, one that is, however, not nearly as close as Jupiter and Mercury's. The Parent Element of Venus and Mars is known as Sol. As I'm sure you have already witnessed, Sol Psynergy is very offensive. Most great Psynergy warriors are either Venus or Mars, Mars being the more common of the two. Now do you understand why it is so easy for Santur to use Douse and Meron to use Mind Read?" They nodded.  
  
"Good. Now, Sol and Luna also share a symbiosis, which is why most people can master basic Psynergy skills from any Element." "Do Sol and Luna have a Parent Element?" Gandas interrupted. "Yes, they do. The parent of Sol and Luna is Alchemy. After someone becomes a Sol or Luna Adept, they can try to master the symbio of their current Element. If they can, then they will become an Alchemist. Alchemists are the most powerful warriors there are, and the only thing that can take down an Alchemist is another Alchemist. Also, the wielder of the Stone of Sages can take down an Alchemist, but no one today wields the stone. Now, the job of the Alchemy Control Secret Service, or ACSS, is to locate anyone who is a Sol or Luna Adept and keep tabs on them. If they try to master the symbio, then it's our job to stop them. If they come close to becoming an Adept of a Parent Element, then we are required to kill them." "Is that why you're after me?" Santur asked. Albert shook his head. "No, that's not it at all. In fact, I never had any intent of killing you. I manipulated the Gray Company into attacking you so that I could fool the two Mars people who hired me. I was really protecting you." "How does that work?" Santur asked bitterly. "Yeah, and who are the Gray Company?" Meron added. "The Gray Company are a group of insane fanatics wanting to wipe the earth clean of all who won't join them. Normally, they wouldn't present much of a threat. But they also are after the power of Alchemy. A few of them are Sol and Luna Adepts, and the rest are wannabe's who have a very small amount of Psynergy. You see, I've been watching you for several years, Santur. I know that you would make a great member of the ACSS, so I want to protect you. When the two Mars people came and offered to hire me to kill you, I immediately accepted. I manipulated my way into the Gray Company and sent their weakest assassins against you. Then, I told the two who had hired me that I had the Gray Company taking care of the job. They assumed that I had the powerful Adepts in the Gray Company after you, so they didn't ask questions. Now that you're here, I can protect you much more effectively."  
  
"So, what are you going to do about the Gray Company?" Santur asked. "Since there are powerful Adepts in it who are after Alchemy's power, we have to kill them. You, Santur, are a powerful warrior. If you can pass the trials in the Land of Mist, then you will have the power to destroy them. You're here right now so that I can offer you a job. If you can pass a simple test, then I'll give you an extermination job here in the ACSS." "Why would I take that job?" Santur replied. "Because it's a warrior's job, but a lot more interesting. Because you get to protect a multitude of innocent lives, and have fun doing it. Also, because of the great pay. And finally, because it will allow me to get those two Mars people off your back. Do you accept?" Santur thought for a minute. "If I do, am I bound to stay in the Gray Company for a certain amount of time?" "No, not at all. You can quit whenever you want." Albert reassured him. "I'll do it. Now, you said something about a test of some sort. What is that?" Santur asked. "A simple battle between you and my three right-hand men. Follow me to the battle room."  
  
Santur and his friends followed Albert through several corridors to a large room. "You may choose two of your friends to fight alongside of." Albert said. "Gandas and Meron." "Good. Now, the men you will be battling." Albert said, indicating the three people coming out of a door. They all recognized Cuman, but the other two were strangers. "This is Guman, Cuman's main partner." Albert said, indicating a large, burly man who looked capable of bending iron bars with his bare hands. "And this is Protan, my main exterminator." Albert said, indicating the man dressed in red. He wore a red helmet that had a black plate that covered his eyes. He also had a piece of orange cloth draped around his neck. "Beware of Guman's strength and Protan's Psynergy skills." Albert said. "First off, you'll be doing longsword combat. Pair off." Albert said as they all drew their swords. Santur walked over to Protan, Meron went to Cuman, and Gandas stood in front of Guman. "Begin." They all rushed forward, sword meeting sword with a loud clang. They fought with swords for about five minutes. Halfway through, Brigg challenged Albert, who drew a katana and rushed at Brigg. Santur managed to score a nick on Protan, as did Meron on Cuman. Guman finally brought the flat of his sword down on Gandas' shoulder, sending him to the ground. Brigg and Albert continued fighting, each struggling for the advantage. Brigg finally managed to bring his sword onto Albert's left arm. Albert held up his hand and everyone sheathed their swords.  
  
"Step back five paces from your opponent." Albert said. They obeyed, creating a twenty-foot gap between pairs. "The next round is a free-for-all using Psynergy. Go!" They all started casting as soon as they heard that word. While Santur, Meron, and Gandas all fought in a mob with the three men that Albert had pitted against them, Brigg and Albert just fought each other. Albert had been right. Protan was an incredibly skilled Sol Adept. He was capable of blasting off an almost-constant stream of Psynergy attacks. Guman, however, concentrated mainly on trying to pound people. Cuman was also skilled with Psynergy, though not as much as Protan. Santur finally established a mind link with Meron and gave her an order. She nodded and started charging her Mercury Psynergy. Santur charged his Psynergy, then threw a small, glowing sphere of energy at the ground. It flew underneath the three opponents and formed a huge, swirling whirlwind. Meron instantly shot a stream of freezing water into the whirlwind, then watched as the three ice-encased assassins fell to the ground. The ice that encircled them shattered, allowing them to collapse. Albert, upon seeing this, held up his hand. "You win."  
  
They were all given vials, which they immediately used. Refreshed and renewed, they sat down to talk with Albert. "You've passed the test. Congratulations. You're all now members of the ACSS. Your first job will be to pursue the title of Adept. Here's a detailed map of Eastern Weyard," he said, producing a sheet of paper and laying it on the table. "We're right here. The Land of Mist is somewhere around here." he said, circling a region of ocean with a red pen. "You are to take your ship, pass through the Gondowan-Indra land bridge, and sail up the eastern coast of Gondowan until you reach Lalivero. Then, proceed due east until you come to the Sea of Time. It is marked by these two pillars of rock jutting out of the water. Proceed into the Sea of Time and navigate it. This will be accomplished by sailing around these glowing rocks three times. Once you have done so, the turbulent currents will stop for a few seconds. Quickly navigate your way through them. Once you exit the Sea of Time, proceed to the small island in the center. Dock there. You'll figure out the rest from there. Take this letter and present it to the guards at the gate. This other letter you are to give to the King of the Land of Mist. It contains details for your testing. After you become Adepts, you will be instructed on how to bypass the waters in the Sea of Time. After you exit, return here for your next assignment. Is that all clear?" Santur nodded. "Good. Now, I need to ask you some questions." "Shoot." was Santur's reply.  
  
"Can you summon the powers of the Djinn?" Albert asked. "Yes, I am capable of doing that." "Which powers can you summon?" "I can summon the basic spirit of Jupiter, along with two other warriors, one who shoots arrows at my foe, and the other who actually picks my opponent up in a whirlwind and shoots it." Santur replied. "That is a good start, but it's not nearly enough. Before you leave, you will be granted a greater power. I assume that your companions can also use the first three summons for their Element?" "Yes. Meron can summon the basic spirit of Mercury, a woman called Nereid, and a creature that produces several powerful streams of water. Gandas can summon the spirit of Mars, a rider on a fiery creature, and the dragon Tiamat. Brigg is capable of summoning the spirit of Venus, the power of the ancient Pharaoh, and a creature called Cybele." Albert sat back and thought. "That's a wonderful start. Now let me explain an even greater power. Do you know of the god of thunder?" "Yes, I believe he is called Thor." "That is correct. If you go with Cuman, he will show you how to summon that power." Santur stood up and exited with Cuman.  
  
"Now for you, Meron. Do you know of the three converging mountain ranges near your home in Vault?" "Yes. Vault is just south of the Goma Range, a range of mountains that extends eastward to Kolima. It also extends westward until just past Vale. It then splits and runs north and south. Oh, it also has a small range that extends eastward between Vault and Vale." "That is correct. Now, if you follow that range north, you will find a small range that extends to the west, near the coast. But if you follow the main range even further north, you will find that it splits into four small ranges. There is the southward range that leads to Vale, and there is a short northern range that ends in a river. There are also two ranges that go to the east and west. They both curve north, giving the whole range the resemblance of a scorpion with Mercury Lighthouse in its claws. Now, at the point where those four ranges converge, there is a high peak that is shrouded in ice. Beneath the ice is a huge machine that can spray a concentrated stream of ice slush for an incredible distance. The machine was crafted centuries ago as a weapon of war. It is still operational, though. Go with Guman and he will introduce you to an instructor who will show you how to summon that power." Meron nodded and exited.  
  
"Gandas, how much do you know about astronomy?" Albert asked. "That's a pretty broad question, but I have an adequate knowledge of it." "So you know what meteors are?" "Of course. Why?" "Because when meteors enter Weyard's atmosphere, they encounter immense friction. The result is that many of them burn up before they even hit the ground. They are commonly called 'shooting stars'. But there are some that are made of a more sturdy and heat-resistant material. They actually are able to withstand the heat and hit the ground. The result is that you have a large, hard, flaming mass that weighs several tons hitting the ground at an incredible speed. Go with Protan and he will instruct you on summoning that power." Gandas stood up and followed Protan out of the room.  
  
"Before I talk to you about the summon, Brigg, I need to talk to you about Santur. I think that it's good for you to be traveling with him. They all need you to be with them, to keep them out of trouble. But you do need to allow them room to grow. Try not to limit them too much. Try to let them make decisions about what to do without your advice and if they ask for it, encourage them to decide for themselves. Now, about the summon. Have you ever heard the prophecy about the Day of Destruction?" "Maybe a long time ago, but I don't remember it." Brigg replied. "First, a bit of history. You heard me talk about Boreas. It is a weapon from ancient times, back when Alchemy was commonplace. Back when incredible power was so common, tensions started to grow between nations. The possibility of war started to grow until it became imminent and the only questions were when and between whom. Also, how terrible it would be. So, each nation started constructing a powerful weapon. The northern nation that eventually split into the towns of Prox and Imil decided to build Boreas. They weren't the only ones building something of massive power. Two of the nations decided that either they would win or Weyard would die. They built massive doomsday machines, devices with the sole purpose of wiping out all life on the planet. Both devices took the appearance of massive flying knights, armed with sword and shield. Each was able to unleash a huge sphere of energy that would wipe out Weyard. Fortuanetely, Alchemy was sealed, the power sapped, and the devices laid to rest. Tensions eventually eased, and finally dissipated into normal international affairs. When Alchemy was unleashed again, the power returned. The doomsday devices are now operational. Fortunately, they are hidden underground. Very few people know about them, and most of those who do know work here at the ACSS. There are, however, others who know where the machines are and, worse still how to operate them. Thus came the Day of Destruction prophecy. It is said that some time in the future, the devices will be activated and most of Weyard destroyed. We at the ACSS cannot prevent this, but we are doing our best to delay it. We have planted guardians at the locations of the devices. If anyone ever defeats the guardians, they are given a new summoning power. This is enough to fool most people into thinking that they have achieved their goal and obtained the prize. As soon as they leave, however, the guardians become active again. So far, no one has ever gotten to the devices. But someday, someone will. And that's where your power comes from. You see, you are able to open a temporary portal to the Day of Destruction and sap a little of the energy from the lesser knight's weapon. We have named the power 'Judgment'. I will show you how to use it." "What about the other device?" Brigg asked. "Supposedly, someone of the Jupiter or Luna Element can sap power off of that knight, but it has yet to be accomplished. Now, follow me." Albert led Brigg to a room where an instructor was waiting.  
  
Two hours later, they all met back at the office. "You are now all armed with incredible power. Go become Adepts. Good luck!" Albert said, sending them off to the ship. On the way, Santur was walking into various things, too dazed to see them until he had already slammed into them. "Santur, what are you thinking about?" Meron asked. "Hmm? Oh, just the idea that I'm finally going to become an Adept!" They boarded the ship, pulled up the anchor, and plotted the course. They were off.  
  
Wow, chapter eight already! I thought it turned out great! I'm glad that I finally got to address the origins of things like Judgment and Boreas. Please let me know what you think of this chapter! Email is amesmoose@mooselake.net. Also, please start reviewing. Thanx.  
  
P.S. Has anyone figured out who Albert, Cuman, Guman, and Protan remind you of?  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
5/9/03  
  
7:59 pm  
  
25 paragraphs  
  
288 lines  
  
3551 words 


	9. The Land of Mist

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 9: The Land of Mist  
  
Brigg had plotted a course that would take them south, around the southern tip of Gondowan, then back north, through the land bridge. They would follow the western coast of Gondowan and Angara until they reached the city of Champa. From there, they would plot a course east-southeast, directly towards the area that Albert had directed them to. Supposedly, that area was directly south of the Mogall Forest, so they would be able to use that as a landmark. They continued on their southward course for several weeks, finally sailing around the southern tip of Gondowan.  
  
"Santur, come here quick!" Meron shouted. "What is it?" he asked, running to the starboard side of the ship. "Look out there! Another continent, and it's all white!" she exclaimed. Brigg walked up to them. "Yes. It's called 'Tundaria', and it's white because it is always covered in snow. Very few people live there, and the only thing that draws visitors is an ancient tower." Santur continued staring for several minutes, using the keen eyesight unique to his Element. "I can see the tower!" he shouted. Meron, Brigg and Gandas all ran to the side and strained their eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of it. "I can't see anything." Gandas said, very disappointed. "That's because you're not Jupiter. Santur has uncommonly good eyesight, even for a Jupiter person." Brigg said. Meron was very disappointed. She wanted to see the tower herself, but on their present course, this would be as close as they would get. She hit upon an idea. Turning to Santur, she lightly touched his hand. She closed her eyes and let the image enter her mind. She could see the tower, far off in the distance. It was tall, and had a rounded top. On the roof of it, there was a small steeple-like pole that extended far into the air. It was beautiful, and she wished that after they were done with their work, that they could visit it. She wanted to explore it, to map out every corridor and hallway. She wanted to reach the top and climb the pinnacle. She heard Santur speak through the mind link. 'I know how you feel. I want to go there too. And when we're done exploring that one, there are two others just like it, located elsewhere in Weyard. I want to explore all three.' With that, he broke the link.  
  
They continued on their northbound course for eighteen days, making exceptionally good time thanks to wind. They finally reached the settlement of Champa. It was a large town, almost a small city. It wasn't very prosperous due to the fact that it was out of the way and off the beaten path. No one had ever really managed to scale the cliffs and cross the mountains to the north of it, save for a few adventurous explorers. If a pathway could be opened through the mountains and a method of crossing the Lamakan Desert devised, it could become very prosperous indeed, due to the fact that it would be right along a trade route from the cities on Angara to the cities on Indra and Osenia. Currently, anyone wanting to trade between Gondowan and Indra or Osenia had to cross the Karagol Sea, pass through Suhalla and continue eastward, then cross several rivers to reach Lalivero. From there, they had to hire a ship to take them to their destination. Yes, opening up a trade route through Champa would revolutionize the town.  
  
But as things stood, Champa was a small city built up against, and even into, the northern cliffs. Many passages were carved deep into the cliff. Some of them led out to ledges on the southern face of the cliff. From there, a person could see the distant continents of Osenia and Indra. In one of the caverns, there was a famous forge. Legend had it that a person could make weapons of incredible power in it. Santur wanted to visit the forge. After all, forging weapons was a hobby of his. Brigg had taught him how to and seemed to enjoy it almost as much as Santur. They had both worked on countless swords, knives, axes, and various farming implements. In Kalay, Santur had bought a souvenir, a tiny piece of Orihalcon. Orihalcon is an ore of incredible strength. A weapon made from it was unbreakable, and once it was treated, it was almost unmeltable. The small piece that Santur had bought was not enough to even forge a ring, but Santur planned to add it to some more conventional metals and create a strong alloy. From that he wanted to forge a shuriken, a small star-shaped throwing blade. The purpose of a shuriken, or a throwing star, is to enter the body of an enemy and lodge itself there. That way if you don't kill the enemy right off, then the enemy will eventually die from the complications of a small blade moving around inside of it.  
  
"Santur, toss the ropes." Gandas ordered as he brought the small ship alongside the dock. Santur threw the heavy cords over the side but missed the dock by a few feet. Just as the ropes were about to hit the water, the dock attendant held his hand up and said, "Catch." The ropes stopped instantly and returned to the dock attendant's waiting hands. Santur stared at him. He had seen Catch used before, but that was always to grab something tiny, like an apple. Those ropes were meant to hold a ship in place. They were four inches thick and unbelievably heavy. Yet the man had used his Psynergy to catch them. That was impressive. The man tied the ropes to the thick corner posts of the dock. Gandas and Brigg grabbed the gangplank and started to lower it towards the dock. Santur jumped up on the railing of the ship and ran down the rope to the dock.  
  
He walked up to the dock attendant. "That was pretty powerful Psynergy you used. I've never seen anyone who was able to use Catch on something as heavy as a docking rope." The man smiled and replied, "Yeah, you learn to use skills like that when people aim incorrectly and throw the rope into the water. And you're not the first person to miss." Gandas, Brigg, and Meron walked down onto the dock. "Let's head into town." Brigg said. They walked off into the small city.  
  
Many of the shops were just small stands with tarps set up to protect them from the rain. Some shops were inside buildings, but they were scarce. Champa was not a rich town. They headed back into the caves that were carved into the cliffs. Most of the rooms back there were devoted to living quarters, but there was an occasional shop or two. Eventually, Santur located the room with the forge. An old man was working at it. Santur walked up to him. "Hi. I here that people who use this forge can make weapons of extreme power." The man looked up from his work and smiled. "Yes, that is correct. My great-grandmother used to run this forge. She was unbelievably skilled with it. After she passed away, her son took over. It has been passed down for several generations. Someday soon, I will pass on and my son will take over for me. Now, is there something I can help you with?" Santur nodded and held out the orihalcon. "I want to add this to an alloy and forge a small shuriken. Can I do that?" The man looked at him and smiled. "I can help you do that. Let me heat the forge. I just finished making an alloy for someone. He had me shape it into a crescent, and then he took it and left. Said he needed to head back to the inn and sharpen it. Oh, sorry for rambling." he said, stoking the fire in the forge. He then focused his Psynergy and the fire in the forge nearly exploded. He took a crucible and put some iron in it. He then took the orihalcon from Santur and added it to the mixture. "A shuriken, you say?" he said, stirring the molten alloy. Santur nodded. "In that case, let me add something else." He opened a cabinet and reached in. He produced a small block of black metal. "This is called Dark Matter. If a weapon is forged purely from this, it will be cursed." "What do you mean when you say it will be cursed?" Santur asked. The man merely smiled at the interruption. "A cursed weapon is one that cannot be unequipped. For instance, you can sheath a cursed sword, but if you try to throw it away, it will stick to your hand. The curse can temporarily prevent you from moving, and if you use Psynergy when cursed, it has a double-edge to it and will hurt you. But don't worry." he added, seeing the worried look on Santur's face. "This amount in an alloy won't curse it. It will merely enhance the weapon's battling power." he continued, adding the small block of metal to the mixture.  
  
Once the alloy was mixed and purified, the man let it cool. He then poured it into a disc-shaped container. He let it cool to the point where it was pliable, then used a small blade to cut various pieces of it. It began to take shape. Once he had all the points carved out, he dropped it in a barrel of water. He grabbed some tongs and fished it out. "There you go. Sharpen the edges, and you have a first-rate throwing star." he said, taking the coins that Santur held out. Santur rushed back to the inn where his friends were staying and showed them the shuriken. Brigg was impressed. Santur grabbed a file and headed down to the main room of the inn. He grabbed some food, then started to sit down when he saw a man with a crescent-shaped piece of metal. He had a file and was sharpening the inside edge of it. He wore a hooded cloak that hid his face. Santur was curious. He went and sat down opposite the man, who didn't even look up. For some reason, the man was familiar. As he ate his supper, Santur watched the man file the edges incredibly sharp. He then pulled out a small tool, bairly thicker than a hair. As he started to carve a small hole in the edge of the blade, Santur realized who he was. "Goman! Imagine running into you here." The man looked up and put a finger to his lips. He got up and walked away. Santur followed him up the stairs. He opened the door to a room and they both stepped in. The door was shut and the hood removed. It was Goman, all right. But he had a new battle scar, right under his left eye. "Hello, Santur. How have you been?" he said, embracing him. "Good. And you?" "Not so good. Someone is tracking me, trying to hunt me down. Whoever is trying to kill me is definitely Mars. Actually, I think that there are two people trying to kill me. I have someone trying to protect me, though." "Who's that?" Santur asked. "You wouldn't know him. He's an old friend of mine, though." Goman replied. "Would he, by any chance, be named Albert?" Goman startled. "Yes. How do you know?" "I work for him, too. He sent me off to test out as an Adept. We stopped here to get supplies. What's your assignment?" "The same thing. Albert decided that I had worked for the ACSS long enough to merit the title of Adept. All I have to do is get there and test out. Oh, and shake my killers as well." "Why don't you hitch a ride with us?" Santur offered. Goman considered it. "If you have room for me, I guess." "Sure we do!" Santur replied.  
  
He brought Goman back into his room and explained to everyone else that Goman was coming with them. They spent the rest of the evening working on their weapons. At the end of the evening, Goman returned to his room. The room Santur and his friends were staying in only had three beds, so Santur had to take the floor. It didn't bother him, though. He lay down and was soon fast asleep. As he lay there, he began to dream. He was up in the air, thousands of feet above the ground. He could see all of Weyard from here. The view shifted south and focused on Osenia. The view then started to rush towards northern Osenia, moving closer to the ground at a frightening speed. He wound up standing in a port city, Alhafra if he remembered correctly. He was transparent and no one saw him. 'I guess I'm just supposed to be an observer,' he thought to himself. He wandered to the northern part of town. There, in the water just off the beach, was a ship. It had just dropped anchor. Suddenly, dozens of people came pouring out of the ship, jumping into the water and swimming to shore. At first it looked like they were trying to escape. But as they came to the shore, they filed into ranks. Santur was dumbstruck. They were dressed in gray.  
  
He tried desperately to wake up. He didn't want to watch this. As soon as they were all on the beach, they ran into town and dispersed in the crowd. Santur knew what was coming next. A battle cry was issued and all the assassins drew their swords. Santur tried to run but was unable to. He knew that he needed to watch this. It wasn't just a nightmare. It was a vision of what would happen. He watched as they mercilessly killed the civilians. He didn't know why they were doing this. It was a terrible. They were massacring the civilians. So many innocents were being killed. Then, like someone had thrown a switch, they stopped. They all looked behind them and saw the smoke rising from their ship. Somehow during the massacre, someone had got to their ship and set it ablaze. They all ran back to try to quench the flames that were destroying their only hope of escape. As they reached the beach, Santur saw who had set the ship on fire. He watched as himself, Meron, Brigg, Gandas, and Goman all started fighting the killers. It was over in ten minutes. His friends and the vision of himself were bairly scratched. The killers were on the ground, lying in their own blood.  
  
He awoke and sat upright, drenched in sweat. He knew that it wasn't a dream, but a vision of the future. He got up and started pacing, trying to collect his thoughts. It was five thirty, too early to wake the others. They didn't usually get up until six. He laid back down in his sleeping bag, unable to calm himself. He closed his eyes and started reading Meron's mind. Soon, he was in that meadow again. He walked up behind Meron and tapped her on the shoulder. "Oh, Santur. What are you doing here?" she asked. "I need to talk to you." "Is this a mind link, then?" "Yes." he replied. They sat down and he told her about his vision. After he finished, he broke the mind link and woke up. It was six. He woke the others and they packed, ready to go. Once they were out at sea, Santur pulled Goman and Brigg aside and told them his dream. Goman agreed that it was a vision. "What should we do, then?" Santur asked. "Just wait. Those things won't come to pass until we are near enough to Alhafra to fulfill our part."  
  
They sailed east for several days. Each day, it got mistier. By the fourth day, they couldn't see for two hundred feet. But as they sailed around in the mist, not sure of where they were, Santur suddenly saw them. Two great pillars of stone, jutting up out of the water. He yelled to Gandas, who quickly steered the ship to port, bringing them into the treacherous Sea of Time. They followed Albert's directions, sailing around the glowing rocks. Each time they did, the currents vanished for a few seconds, allowing them to navigate. They eventually made it through and wound up in the open ocean. They sailed north, towards the single piece of land jutting up out of the ocean. As they neared it, they found a small entrance at its base. They sailed into the cave. Suprisingly, there was light in the cave. Enough light for them to navigate by. They came to some docks and dropped anchor. They lowered the gangplank and walked down onto a grassy path. They followed it until they came to a stairway. They walked up and found themselves in a grassy field. A man was leaning up against a tree. Santur walked up to him. "Excuse me. My name is Santur and I'm here to try out as an Adept." The man nodded and started walking. Santur and his friends followed.  
  
He led them up to a building. They walked in. It was a huge arena. No one was occupying it, save for a single man standing in the center. They walked up to him. Santur explained who they were and what they were there for. He told everyone but Santur to go sit down. They obeyed. "So kid, you want to be an Adept?" the man said. "Yes sir." "You'll have to prove your strength." Santur grinned and held up his hand. The fight was on.  
  
Ten minutes later, Santur had the man completely beaten. He quickly drank a vial. "You've got guts, kid. Go sit down while I battle your friends." One by one they passed the test. After everyone had beaten the man, he lined them up. "You've each proven your worth. I hereby declare you Adepts, masters of the Elements!" He held his hand up. A purple aura surrounded Santur and lifted him in the air. It grew in intensity until it engulfed him. Then, it set him down and vanished. Meron ran up to him. She gasped and he smiled. His pupils were purple, as was the newly formed birthmark under his right eye. She hugged him, crying from joy. Then she gasped as a blue aura surrounded her and tore her from Santur's embrace. As with Santur, it grew in intensity until it engulfed her. When it set her down, Santur ran to her. Her pupils were blue. The process was repeated on Brigg, Gandas, and Goman. After everyone was powered up, the man looked them over. "You are now masters each of a single element. But this is not the end of your quest. No, you must now strive for the power to become an Adept of the parent elements. Santur and Meron, seek the power of Luna. Gandas, Brigg, and Goman, search out the power of Sol. Once you have done so, visit me here. Now, how did you travel here?" "By boat, sir." Santur answered. "Boats" the man scoffed. "Boats are slow. Let me grant you a faster and more efficient means of travel. Follow me. Oh, and Santur, stop it with the 'Sir' business. My name is Hydromin," he said, walking out of the stadium. They followed him outside. Some men were waiting there. Hydromin spoke with them and they left. Soon after, Santur heard whinnying. He looked at the creatures galloping towards them and nearly fainted with joy.  
  
"These will be your steeds. They are Elemental Horses." Hydromin said as the animals approached them and stopped. "Here, Santur. This one is named Jupiten. He can soar through the air at incredible speeds." The horse walked up to Santur and nuzzled him. Santur caressed it, overcome with joy and affection for this animal. It was a light sky-blue and had small wings, like that of Jupiter Djinn, streaming back off its head. "And for you Meron, there's Mercurin. She can travel through water unbelievably fast." The horse walked up to Meron. It was deep blue, and had the small tail of a Mercury Djinni coming out from where head met neck. "Brigg, here's Venusit. He can move through ground like air." The horse came up and sniffed Brigg. It had the tail of a Venus Djinni coming out of its head, much like Mercurin. "Gandas and Goman, here are your steeds. Maror and Maris. They can each fly through the air as a fireball." The horses walked up to their new masters and nuzzled them. Their manes and tails were burning brilliantly. "Also, here are some special weapons for each of you. Here, Santur. This boomerang can be guided with your Psynergy. Meron, take this deck of cards. Each card you draw from it has a special ability. Some attack with vines, others with lightning, and others with searing flames. Brigg, you are the only person able to lift this hammer. To you, it will feel light. But when you swing it, it carries incredible momentum. Gandas and Goman, take these whips and learn to use them." Everyone accepted their weapons, looking them over. Santur threw the boomerang, then focused his Psynergy on it. It flew around the group and came back to his waiting hand.  
  
It took Meron a full minute to notice that Santur was standing perfectly still, eyes closed. She quickly touched his hand, establishing a mind link. At that moment, however, Santur snapped back to reality. "Quickly everyone! Albert just contacted me. He said that the two Mars people who hired him have found out that I'm still alive! They've sent the Gray Company on a quest to cleanse Weyard! Their first target is Alhafra! Let's ride!" Without another word, they all jumped on their horses. Jupiten sprang southward into the air, flying a hundred feet or more off the ground. Mercurin sprang off to the edge of the pillar of land they were on. Upon reaching it, she jumped off the edge, taking Meron into the ocean with her. Venusit vanished into the ground, running straight down until he reached the floor of the ocean. Maror and Maris both jumped into the air, engulfed in fire. They soared through the sky, following Jupiten. They all headed south, hoping to stop the massacre.  
  
What's gunna happen next? Will they be able to stop the Gray Company from slaughtering all the innocents? Will they be able to defeat the Gray Company once and for all? And who are those dumb Mars idiots who keep popping in to make trouble? Find out next time! In the meantime, please review and email me. amesmoose@mooselake.net. Thanx.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
6/20/03  
  
8:56 PM  
  
27 paragraphs  
  
306 lines  
  
3842 words 


	10. Confrontation

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 10: Confrontation  
  
The memory of the vision came flooding back. Every moment of it was played back. The ship dropping off swarms of assassins, how they infiltrated the town, and how, when the order was given, they massacred the innocents. Men, women, and even children were put to the sword. Santur watched as the men grabbed whatever they could find and tried to defend the women and children. Some grabbed actual swords, some shovels, and others had only torches. Then, the bright light and explosive blast of fire. He also saw himself and his comrades killing the assassins. As he ran over it in his mind, however, he realized that the Psynergy that was flying throughout the battle wasn't completely accounted for. Of course he and his friends were talented, but even they couldn't blow off that much energy.  
  
'That's too confusing,' Santur thought, looking down and enjoying the view. Never before had he seen a view from such an altitude. He had gotten a couple rides on small pet dragons, but they only went fifty feet or so off of the ground. Now he was thousands of feet up, flying at unbelievable speeds. He could see the continent of Osenia. He could even see the city of Alhafra, the place they were rushing to in the hopes of preventing a bloodbath. Jupiten whinnied and tossed his head. Santur cast Mind Read. 'Santur! Look down there!' Santur followed his horse's gaze down at the ocean. There, far below, was the ship that they so desperately wanted to stop. Santur considered swooping down onto it, but realized that there was no use in that: the ship had reached the shore. The fanatics swarmed out of it and into the city. Two minutes later, the battle cry was issued.  
  
Jupiten swooped down and landed gracefully on the beach. Almost immediately, two fireballs hit the ground, exploding into a blaze. Out of the blaze rode Maror and Maris. A loud splash was heard as Mercurin jumped out of the water and landed next to Jupiten. Then, out of the sand leapt Venusit, carrying Brigg on his back. With all the horses and riders accounted for, Santur leapt off Jupiten. "Quick! Gandas and Goman, set their ship on fire!" Gandas nodded and held his hand up as a huge wall of fire came crashing into the ship. Goman held his hand out and charged up. He slammed the glowing ball of energy into the ground. At that instant, a searing flow of lava shot up from the ground beneath the water the ship was floating on. There was a hissing noise as the lava evaporated large quantities of seawater. The ship began to burn. Suddenly, Maris neighed and ran to the front of the ship. A glowing aura encircled him as he reared into the air. From the aura came a beam of intense heat that shot straight into the ship, radiating out from it. Santur suddenly realized were all the extra Psynergy attacks in his vision came from. The horses were Adepts as well!  
  
There was a ground-rocking explosion as the heat waves hit the explosive propellant used in the ship's weapons. Aided by Goman's Eruption attack, a large part of the ship's midsection went flying straight up, burning brightly. The sounds of battle coming from the city suddenly ceased, leaving only the sounds of the living mourning the dead. Then, a cry of terror pierced the air as those who were occupied with merciless, pointless killing realized what was happening. The Gray Company assassins started rushing for the beach, not realizing that their ship was already demolished. Santur drew his sword and his friends followed suit. The horses all whinnied and an aura began to encircle them. "I wonder how they do that." Meron said, noting the deep-blue haze surrounding her steed. She walked up to Mercurin and touched the horse's neck, establishing a mind link. 'Mercurin, what is that aura?' 'What? You mean that they didn't teach you about that? Oh, I suppose we had to leave early and rush here. The aura is an improved type of Psynergy. Here, let us equip you humans with it.' Mercurin nickered at the others. They all walked up to their riders. There was a blinding flash as the aura from each horse encircled the rider. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it vanished. But something was different. Brigg was the first to notice it. "Hey, I have an aura around me!" The others looked at Brigg. Sure enough, the golden haze was visible around him. Santur looked at himself. "Hey, me too!" They all looked at themselves. 'There, Meron. Now you're a true Adept!' Mercurin thought. 'Oh, and one more thing. Use your new weapons!' Meron relayed the message to the rest. Santur sheathed his sword and drew out his boomerang. "Time to test this." he said as the swarm of assassins rushed onto the beach.  
  
He threw the boomerang at the crowd, then focused his mind on it. It swerved and circled a man's neck, the sharpened edge easily cutting the soft flesh. The man screamed and dropped as the bloodstained boomerang returned to Santur. He threw it again, this time guiding it around a man's arm, cutting it off. On the next try, he guided it much closer to the neck. The decapitated body collapsed as the head fell to the ground. He was getting braver. He threw it again, this time guiding it straight at a man's chest. It passed through, leaving the man looking suprised. Then, as the assassin noticed the blood pouring out of the slit in his chest, he realized what had happened. He grimaced, clutching at the bloodstained wound, then fell facedown on the ground. He did not move again. Meanwhile, Santur was learning more and more about his boomerang. He threw it at what appeared to be a leader, spinning it at the last minute so that, while the entrance wound was horizontal, the exit wound was vertical. The man yelled as he fell forward, staining the ground with blood. Santur was suprised at how fast the boomerang could move. He threw it in the air and watched as it flew straight above the swarm of killers. He brought it down on a man who was standing still, not sure of what to do at the sight of his ship burning. The boomerang came down and made contact. The man didn't feel it hit. Santur caught the boomerang and watched as the two halves of the man he had just killed fell in opposite directions.  
  
Meron was experimenting with her special deck of cards. As a man came running towards her with his sword drawn, she flipped a card off the top of the deck and threw it at him. It swerved up, stopping at about ten feet. The man didn't see the card, nor did he feel the bolt of lightning that struck him. He merely fell to the ground, unconscious. The card returned to her and she slid it back into the deck. She drew another card and looked at it. It had a picture of bright red flames. She glanced around and targeted another man. She threw the card in the air and watched as it shot out a stream of incinerating flames, leaving nothing left of the killer save for a pile of ash. The card flew back and she returned it to the deck. The assassin next to the victim, having been seriously scalded, noticed Meron and charged. He was met with a cloud of gas. The gas shrouded him and his coughing was audible. The card that was spraying the gas returned to Meron's deck. The man, now completely confused and deluded, tried again to charge Meron. But with the foggy vision that he had, he managed to miss her by about three feet. He screamed as he felt numerous thorny vines grasp him. He was tangled in them, being poked everywhere. The vines vanished and the card returned. Wounded and bleeding, he ran at her again, only to be impaled by the numerous spikes of ice that were hurtling towards him, thanks to her Psynergy. As he ran forward, barraged by the pointed darts, he tripped and flew headlong into the stream of them. He fell down and didn't move.  
  
Brigg was having fun with his hammer. Hydromin was correct. The hammer was light, but carried the momentum of a charging elephant. All he had to do was swing it at a man and he would fly backward about twenty feet. As he was swinging, bashing, and breaking, Gandas and Goman were trying their whips out. The long braided strands of leather were tough and had a bite to them. Once they were burning, they became instruments of destruction. They could wrap an enemy's neck and burn it open, or whip him to shreds, or wrap him up and throw him. Gandas and Goman fought back to back, whips in one hand and swords in the other. The horses helped out where they could. Jupiten and Mercurin stayed by their rider's side, trampling some and blasting others with their powerful Psynergy. Members of the Gray Company avoided them completely, knowing that the creatures could kill them instantly. Venusit, Maris, and Maror all wandered the beach, chasing down enemies and killing them. More than once was the bright light from their auras was seen flaring up as they sent their energy flying.  
  
Suddenly, one of the assassins looked up in the sky and screamed. The rest looked up as well, but never saw it coming. The earth reeled as a massive meteor struck the group, killing a dozen or more of the assassins. Santur looked at the source of the attack. "Nice one, Gandas. My turn." He unleashed four of his Djinn, then held up his hand. A rainbow-colored circular outline appeared in the sky. It started spinning, then blasted down to the ground. There stood a massive human carrying a large stone hammer. He looked at the assassins then raised his hammer. Thousands of bright bolts shot out of it, killing some and stunning others. He vanished. Santur looked at Meron. "Go ahead!" he shouted. She nodded and unleashed four of her Djinn. She then held up her hand as the Djinn drained their power. Then, from the north came an incredible shower of ice slush that hit the assassins and froze. It built up into a small glacier before a glowing arrow came flying from the same direction and hit the block of ice. It shattered, leaving many of the assassins dead. But a full half still remained. And they were angry now. They redoubled their attack, becoming fiercer by the minute. Santur put his boomerang away and drew his sword. The others followed his example, ready for the final showdown. Santur assumed a defensive stance as they came rushing towards him. The killers stopped and stared behind him, a look of sheer terror washing over their faces. A large portal had opened behind Santur and from it came a flood of golden light. The wave advanced, passing through Santur without touching him. When it came to the assassins, however, there was an incredible crashing bang as the killers went flying.  
  
When the smoke and dust cleared, all that was left was a pile of bodies. Brigg's Djinn jumped back onto him, resting after that surge of power. "Well, that sure went fast," Santur commented. Gandas nodded. "Now what?" Goman asked. Santur opened his mouth to answer, but froze in that position. Finally, he closed his mouth and shut his eyes. Meron quickly ran up and touched him. "Everyone! Get over here!" she hissed. They all gathered around. "Join hands!" she ordered. Brigg grabbed Gandas' hand, who grabbed Goman, who was holding Meron's hand. At once the vision came flooding in. There, standing in the darkness, were the two Mars people that had caused so much trouble. But they weren't just people. They were Adepts. Brigg gasped as he recognized them. "The victors from Colosso, several years back! What are you doing here?" he asked. "Welcome, Brigg. And everyone else. Let's see, I know everyone here, even you, Goman." the man answered. "Well, the reason we're here is to warn you. Watch your back. We're after you, Santur, because you're the leader of the pack. You may not know it yet, but you are destined to do a great harm to Weyard. A harm that we worked hard and almost died to prevent. We have to stop you before you commit that act." Santur looked confused. "What act? What have I ever done?" "Nothing, yet. But you will. And that's why we have to stop you." "Were did you become an Adept?" Gandas interrupted. "I know what you're thinking." the woman answered. "You're thinking that the Lemurians would never grant the title of Adept to people like us. But we have not been given that title. We were born with it." "Since when is anyone born with the sacred title?" Meron asked. "You do not understand, young lady. We do not come from the same world as you. We do hail from Weyard, but from a very different Weyard than the one you live in. In our home, Alchemy bairly exists. Very few people even have Psynergy. Its power is virtually unknown. In our home, we strived to bring Weyard into a golden age, and for a while it seemed our efforts were for naught. But then an unexpected twist of fate gave us the advantage. Our enemy switched sides and started to help us. With their help, we managed to break the seal. Alchemy was freed, and it did bring Weyard into a golden age. But now, our archenemy, the boss of the one whom switched sides, is at it again. He wishes to seal Alchemy again and bring Weyard to destruction. Even now, he is trying to use Santur to accomplish that goal." "Albert?" Santur asked, shocked. The man, seeing the look on his face, reassured Santur. "No, not Albert. Someone who has visited Santur a few times in dreams. If he can get Santur to seal Alchemy, then Weyard will wither and die. That cannot be allowed. We will stop you, Santur, if it costs us our lives." With that, they vanished, leaving the group standing there, not sure of what to do.  
  
Santur looked around then noticed the ship. It had stopped burning when Meron had summoned Boreas. Some of the slush had hit the flames. "Let's go. Break the ship up and put the wood all over the beach. We're going to burn the bodies." He walked up to the ship and pulled out his boomerang. He threw it, then guided it around the mast numerous times, slicing it clean. The boomerang returned and the mast fell. Brigg walked up to the side of the ship and pulled out his hammer. He brought it back over his head, then swung it full force into the side of the ship, busting half the wall away. The others set to work hauling the scraps to the beach and spreading them out over the bodies. When they had reduced the ship to scrap and covered the beach with timber, Santur walked up to Goman. "You know that liquid used in burning weapons?" Goman nodded. "Drench this place with it. I'll help." They set to work drenching the beach in it. When they had saturated the whole beach, they climbed on their steeds. Everyone but Gandas and Goman on their horses retreated into the water. Maror and Maris whinnied as they dissolved into flame. As the fire hit the ground, there was a roar. The beach burst into towering flames that shot hundreds of feet into the air. The heat was incredible. The flames burned for several minutes before vanishing as fast as they had appeared, leaving only two patches of flame on the ground. From these leapt Maror and Maris, Gandas and Goman safely on their backs.  
  
"Well, Santur, what now?" Goman asked. "We go into town and help bury the dead." Santur replied solemnly. They rode into the city and helped haul the bodies to the mass graves that were being dug. By morning their job was done, leaving time for a quiet service in honor of the dead. The death toll was ninety-two, out of a population of over ten thousand. If Santur and his friends hadn't intervened, the whole city would have been massacred and burned. They spent the day and night sleeping at the inn, then set off in the morning to return to Kalay.  
  
Wow, sad chapter. Now I have to come up with a long ending message to make my necessary three thousand words. What did you think of it? I know that some of you have been waiting for this, and I hope I didn't disappoint anyone. Sorry that it's taking so long to update, but this has been my busiest summer ever and my parents don't let me get on a computer now until after 4:00. On top of everything I need to do, this doesn't leave too much time for fanfic. But I am trying. Note: If you haven't figured out who the two Mars Adepts are, you've either never played Golden Sun or you have the mental capacity of roofing tar. Oh, and one person has already figured out who Albert is. :^) Now let's see if anyone can figure out were the test battle between Santur, Meron, Gandas, Cuman, Guman, and Protan is from. Submit guesses to amesmoose@mooselake.net. To those of you who have been reviewing, thank you. To those of you who haven't been reviewing, I'm tracking your IP so I can attack your computer via email viruses and SPAM!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA! Please review. Pretty please. And please email me feedback. Pretty please with sugar on top. Thanx.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
6/25/03  
  
9:54 PM  
  
22 paragraphs  
  
246 lines  
  
3015 words 


	11. Peacekeepers

The Chronicles of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 11: Peacekeepers  
  
"Jupiten, you are the greatest. This is so much faster than travel by boat!" Santur said as they landed on the northern outskirts of Kalay. The horse whinnied in response. After his friends had arrived, they set out for the tunnel entrance at a quick trot. They came to the foothills of the small mountain just north of the city. "It's up here," Goman said. He led them to a large rock and dismounted. "Now watch carefully," he said. He pushed against the face of the boulder and a doorway opened up in it. "Quickly. Inside. Bring the horses." They dismounted and walked in the passageway. The ceiling was low, requiring Brigg and Goman to duck. The floor sloped down at a steep angle, but was smooth and flawless. At about fifty feet underground, the passage flattened out and did a U-turn. The passage opened up into the tunnel where ACSS headquarters was located.  
  
Goman led them to where the stables were. Santur considered elemental horses to be rare, but the stable was filled with them. Jupiten and Mercurin walked right into their stalls, but Venusit, Maror, and Maris needed to be coaxed in. Santur finally walked up to them and established a mind link. 'Look, ACSS has provided a clean stall for you. Please be gracious and accept it.' With that, the horses stepped into their stalls. Goman turned to the rest of the group. "Now, let's go see Albert."  
  
Santur was starting to remember his way around and was able to find Albert's office without too much difficulty. He knocked on the door, then stepped back and waited. "Come in," Albert said from inside. Santur pushed the door open and walked in. "Ah, Santur. And the rest of the group. Enter and have a seat." He turned to Goman. "Why are you traveling with them?" he asked. "Because I had two trained assassins on my trail in Champa and my destination was the same as theirs. They offered me a ride and besides, we needed five people in that last encounter. If I wasn't supposed to, then I'm sorry, but no one informed me otherwise." With that, Goman sat down. "No, it's fine. I was just curious," Albert replied. "Now, I see that you are all Adepts. I hear that you have obtained elemental horses as your steeds. Is that correct?" Santur nodded. "Good. We have very few agents with elemental horses. You will prove to be of immense value now. What was the situation in Alhafra?" Santur stood up and replied, "We got there about five minutes too late. We were able to stop the massacre, and less than a hundred people died." "And the Gray Company?" Albert asked. "It was a bloody encounter, but we won't be bothered by them anymore." Albert looked down at his desk, saddened by the number of lives lost. "Thank you, Santur. You can sit down. Now, down to business. Since you are all equipped with worthy steeds, you are being transferred. Your new job is rapid response and peace keeping. You see, we have over a thousand Adepts working for ACSS. They are imbedded throughout Weyard, and it is their job to report any serious civil disturbances to headquarters. Once they have done so, we look over the details. If the disturbance is serious, then we dispatch some RRPCs, or Rapid Response Peace Keepers. The RRPCs use their elemental horses to reach the area as quickly as possible. Once there, they work with the embedded agent to resolve the disturbance. Since you are equipped with elemental horses, you are prime candidates for the job. Any questions?"  
  
Santur raised his hand. Albert nodded at him. "Sir, what are Luna and Sol, specifically?" Albert smiled at him. "My, you are curious about Psynergy, Santur. Luna and Sol are two Elements that are not nearly as well known as Venus, Mars, Jupiter, or Mercury. They are sometimes referred to as 'Parent Elements' because they combine the power of two of the common four. Luna combines the power of Mercury and Jupiter, and Sol combines Venus and Mars. Does that answer your question?" "Yes sir, but two other questions: Are there any Elements that combine opposing Elements, like Jupiter and Venus, or Mercury and Mars?" Albert shook his head. "No, that's not really possible. You see, the opposing Elements would counteract each other and cancel each other out, resulting in no Psynergy. I don't believe that there are Elements that combine Jupiter and Mars or Venus and Mercury, either. What was your other question?" "How does one become a Luna or Sol Adept?" Albert smiled again. "You do have large ambitions. To become a Luna or Sol Adept, you must first visit the Lighthouse of your Element. Once there, you must climb to the aerie and power yourself up with the light of the beacon. After that, you must visit the lighthouse of your sister Element, in your case Mercury. After reaching the aerie, you must power yourself up with the beacon of that lighthouse. At that point, you will be granted all the Psynergy skills of your sister Element and will become a Luna Adept. Now, as much as I would like to see you rise up to Luna, Santur, we need you here more. If there is a lull in the usual streak of violence to the point where the other agents can handle it, you might be able to visit the two lighthouses. But right now, we'll have you going for sixteen hours a day. Now, head down to the armory and tell them that you need standard issue armor for RRPC work. Dismissed."  
  
They all stood up and filed out of the office. Santur turned to Goman. "Goman, how long have you been working here at ACSS?" Goman shrugged. "About three months, I guess. They've had me running around doing odd jobs. This is my first real assignment. Now follow me and we'll head to the armory." They walked down numerous hallways until they came to a door that said 'Armory'. As Goman was pushing it open, Meron looked at him. "Goman, what is standard issue armor for an RRPC?" "Beats me. As I said, this is my first real assignment." They stepped into the armory. Shields, boots, gloves, helmets, and various other pieces of armor were hanging up on the walls. Santur walked up to a man working at a forge. "Excuse me, but we were sent down here to get standard armor for RRPC work." The man straightened up and looked at Santur. "Oh, just became an RRPC, eh? Okay, follow me." He walked over to a door with 'Special Agent' written on it. He took a key and unlocked it. It opened up into a small closet with various sizes of fine mail shirts and pants. "Here's what we give to RRPCs and embedded agents. Here, find a size that fits you. The mail is made from mythril, a metal that's as light as a feather, but harder than orihalcon. It's very expensive, so take good care of it." He grabbed several sets of shirts and pants and handed them out. "Try these on. Go into those dressing rooms and make sure they fit you properly. You need to be able to wear normal clothing over it." Ten minutes later, they were all wearing mythril mail under their clothing. "One more thing. Take these mythril hoods. Keep them with you and wear them when battling. Okay, all of you are now equipped for RRPC work. Have fun." With that, he stepped back to the forge and resumed his work on a helm.  
  
As they stepped out into the hallway, a thought occurred to Santur. "Um, Goman, where do we go now?" "To our quarters. Albert set your rooms up next to mine. Let me give you a tour around headquarters and show you various things you'll need to know." Goman showed them to their quarters first. The rooms were sparsly furnished, having only a bed, a small table with a reading lamp, a little wardrobe, and a small bathroom. "The bathrooms only have toilets and sinks. I'll show you were the shower area is later on. Now, follow me and I'll show you to the area where you'll spend most of your time here. The break room." The break room was a large room with many tables. It also contained a kitchen area for those who had time to eat a bite before rushing off on an assignment. The room was occupied by twenty or thirty RRPCs, to whom Goman introduced Santur and his friends. After that, he showed them to the shower area, the workout center, and many other areas. As they were touring the facility, Goman explained some basic rules to them. "When you're on duty, you're not allowed to shower or work out at the gym. Preferably, you should either be in your room or in the break room. Absolutely no guys in girl's rooms and vice versa. If you want to talk to a member of the opposite sex, do it in the break room. The only two areas were you're allowed to have your weapons unsheathed are your quarters and the gym. At all other times, keep your weapons in their sheaths. The reason is that we've had some accidents with people trying to demonstrate swordplay in the hallways. One was nearly fatal."  
  
After the tour, they all returned to their quarters and unpacked their things. Once they were finished, they met in the break room and started talking with some of the other RRPCs. Several times while they were there, a message boy ran into the room with a message and delivered it to an RRPC, who read it and promptly left. After they had been there about half an hour, a boy walked in and pulled out a message. He cleared his throat and read it outloud. "The following people are to speak with me immediately: Santur, Meron, Brigg, Gandas, and Goman." They all got up and walked over to the boy, who quickly explained. "You have been ordered to report to the mining colony and town of Altin. One of our agents just reported that a group of bandits are ransacking the town. Report there immediately." Goman ran out of the room and the others followed him to the stable. They grabbed their horses and followed Goman to the northern exit.  
  
"Let's go!" Goman said as he shut the secret door. They jumped on their horses and shot off to the northeast. Jupiten leapt into the air and soared high above the ground, accompanied by the two fireballs that were Maror and Maris. As soon as Brigg had gotten on Venusit, the horse had shot straight into the ground. Mercurin headed off to the east, trying to reach the ocean. Once in water, she could travel as fast as any of the other horses.  
  
Santur was the first to see Altin, the small town built onto the side of the mountain that the town took it's name from. Gandas and Goman saw it a moment later. It was a small town, consisting of maybe twenty-four houses, an inn, a grocery store, and various other small shops. Jupiten altered his course, as did Maror and Maris. Jupiten landed just outside of town. The two fireballs smashed into the ground on either side of Santur and quickly formed into Maror and Maris. Venusit shot out of the ground and landed in front of Santur. Suddenly, there was a tremendous splash as Mercurin jumped out of the well from which the town drew its water. They all gathered together and observed the situation. Bandits were raiding the town, breaking into houses and stealing anything of value. They only killed the people who opposed them. Already, two miners lay dead on the ground, with three dead bandits close by. "Let's go hunt some bandits!" Brigg yelled as Venusit charged into the town, closely followed by the others.  
  
Santur jumped off of Jupiten, leaving the horse to take on bandits separately. Santur grabbed his boomerang and looked around. He saw a bandit fighting with a miner who was trying to defend his house. Santur threw the boomerang at the bandit, then caught it as it returned. The headless body fell to the ground. Santur felt a heavy blow to his upper back. The hit sent him sprawling. He rolled to his feet and saw the source of the attack. A bandit was standing there, armed with a heavy claymore. Santur dropped the boomerang, knowing that it would be useless at short range. The bandit charged, leaving him no time to draw his sword. He jumped at the bandit feet-first. His shoes made contact with the bandit's face, causing him to trip and fall. Santur rebounded and landed on his feet. He drew his Ninja Blade and pinned the thief to the ground. He retrieved his boomerang and put on his mail hood, chiding himself for not doing so sooner. He heard footsteps behind him and bairly had time to duck the blade that would have collided with his hood, snapping his neck. The bandit was thrown off balance, having braced himself for the blow that didn't connect. This gave Santur the chance to swing his blade at the thief, cutting most of the through him. He yelled and fell. Santur saw another bandit running for him, this time unarmed. He had apparently lost his sword earlier and thought he could take Santur hand-to-hand. He lunged for Santur, expecting to tackle him at full speed. He was very suprised to find that, instead of jumping up and coming down, he was continuing on his upward course. Once he was forty feet off the ground, Santur dissolved the whirlwind. The fall didn't kill him, but landing on the angled face of the mountain and rolling down to the base did.  
  
Meron pulled out her special deck of cards. As a bandit charged her, she slid one off the top of the deck. The man jumped at her, only to be blown back by the hurricane winds emitted from the card. As he picked himself up, he was met with a cloud of gas, which completely enveloped him. The coughing gradually subsided as he fell asleep and eventually stopped breathing. The next person that charged Meron was stopped by half a dozen sabers shooting up from the ground. Once in the air, they all fell on top of him, impaling him in numerous places. "Well, that's enough fun for now," she said, putting the deck away and drawing her mace. She took a minute to set it on fire before going into battle. She saw one bandit hitting a lady to get her out of his way so he could loot her house. Meron followed him angrily. As he was searching the kitchen for any valuables, Meron snuck up behind him. "Don't hit ladies!" she shouted as she swung her mace. He tried to turn around, but wasn't fast enough. The flaming mace connected with the side of his head, dropping him to the ground. Meron walked over to the lady and helped her up, then ran outside. She spotted one thief running across the open area by the well. She charged down the slope and jumped into the air, slamming into him and sending them both to the ground. Meron was the first to recover, standing up and beating him repeatedly with her mace. When she was finished, she turned around, resting her still-burning mace on the ground. It was then that she saw a man, less than ten feet away, charging her at full speed. He brought his sword up to parry the blow he expected her to deal, but her mace remained on the ground. It was only when he was less than a foot away and still ready to parry that she attacked, swinging the mace up from its resting position on the ground into the man's groin. He fell down and didn't move.  
  
Brigg was having way too much fun experimenting with his hammer. All he had to do was swing it into a bandit's midsection and they would fall and remain still. One bandit stopped and faced him. He took the opportunity to bring the hammer, with the momentum of a boulder, down on the man's left foot, burying it a couple of inches into the ground. The man let out a horrified raspy screech as he tried to dig his foot out of the ground. He quickly gave up and dropped to the ground, tears of pain flowing down his face. Brigg made a mental note to cure him after the battle was done. After a while of using his hammer, Brigg put it away and drew his sword. He put on a wonderful display of master swordsmanship. Many bandits were hacked to pieces by Brigg's blade. Gandas and Goman fought side-by-side, whipping bandits to within an inch of their lives. Most of them surrendered, but some of them fell by Gandas' sword or Goman's flaming scythe. The horses wandered the town, trampling some bandits and blasting others.  
  
Within ten minutes of their arrival, the battle was over. The bandits surrendered and were taken captive. The dead were buried, and the embedded agent thanked Santur and his friends. After that, they mounted their steeds and set off for Kalay. Albert congratulated them on their performance. After that, they headed to the break room. Two more assignments followed that day alone. The next few weeks were filled with them. One day, as Santur was sitting in the break room, he got a message to report to Albert immediately. "Santur, there you are. We have an emergency. The Wise One, ancient guardian of the Seal, has returned and is trying to seal off the power that is keeping Weyard alive! We have to stop him."  
  
Ooh, this is gettin' interesting. The Wise One is back! Please start reviewing. I want to know if anyone besides Leaftwiggy and SolSabre are reading this. I'm also holding a fanart competition for those of you who are artistically gifted (not me!) Send your drawings of Santur, Meron, Brigg, Gandas, Goman, and all the horses to amesmoose@mooselake.net. The winners will become the background picture on the Chronicles of Weyard website! The winners will also receive a large cash prize consisting of fifteen billion dollars! /lying Just kidding. I'm starting to lose inspiration for this fic, so I'm going to wrap it up soon. So please review. Thanx.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
7/1/03  
  
7:04 PM  
  
24 paragraphs  
  
257 lines  
  
3122 words 


	12. The Final Battle

The Chronicles Of Weyard  
  
By Pyro1588  
  
Chapter 12: The Final Battle  
  
One day, as Santur was sitting in the break room, he got a message to report to Albert immediately. "Santur, there you are. We have an emergency. The Wise One, ancient guardian of the Seal, has returned and is trying to seal off the power that is keeping Weyard alive! We have to stop him." "How do we stop him?" Santur asked. "You'll need to power up before you can hope to stop him. Your companions will need to do the same. When you're done doing that, you'll need to intercept and battle him. Give your companions their assignments and go."  
  
Santur was out the door and racing to the break room. He ran up to his companions. "Guys, we have an assignment. We need to power up to Luna and Sol. The wise one is trying to seal Alchemy, and we need to fight him. Let's go." They ran to the stables and grabbed their steeds. Venusit didn't bother waiting to go outside. He dived into the rock floor the moment Brigg was on him. The other four raced outside, then Santur, Gandas, and Goman took off, leaving Meron on the ground. "Let's go, Mercurin." The horse whinnied and raced off to the Karagol. As soon as Mercurin splashed into the Karagol Sea, she dived down to the bottom. From there she swam into a subterranean current that went north. The horse and rider eventually reached the northern part of the great eastern sea. Mercurin jumped up onto land. They were just east of Imil. Mercurin raced north to Mercury Lighthouse. As they approached it, Meron was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the lighthouse. It was hundreds of feet tall and massively wide. At the very top, hovering in aerie, was the Mercury Beacon, the very essence of Mercury's power. But Mercurin didn't bother to stop and enjoy the view. The horse ran straight towards the wall of the lighthouse. When she was fifteen feet away, she jumped straight at the wall. At the last minute, Mercurin's aura flared and a spike of ice formed on the wall. The horse landed on this, then jumped to the right. As before, an ice spike formed on the wall, providing a safe spot to land. She gained about ten feet every time she jumped. It took several minutes to reach the aerie, but it was definitely faster than trying to navigate the inner maze of the lighthouse. With one final leap, they were standing on the aerie. Meron dismounted and walked up to the glowing sphere of light. As she approached it, a bright beam shot out and engulfed her. The beam continued to surround her for a full minute. After that, it dissipated almost instantly. Meron was changed, however. Her aura was much brighter and clear-cut. She jumped up on Mercurin, who ran full-speed for the eastern side of the aerie. When she reached the edge, she gave a tremendous leap, gaining speed as she descended, finally splashing to the ocean and making for a subterranean current that would take them straight underneath Angara and Gondowan, cutting a southwest path that would take them to Atteka, home of Jupiter Lighthouse.  
  
Santur had flown southwest from the start, straight towards Atteka. He always enjoyed the view when he was flying. Right now, he was passing over the northern part of the mountain range that separated Angara and Gondowan. A little further south and they would have flown over Magma Rock, the only aboveground volcanic activity that remained in Weyard. At one time during the forming stages of the world, numerous volcanoes had existed all over Weyard. The best-known one was near the Apojii Islands. It is known as Aqua Rock, but it didn't start out that way. During the early stages of Weyard, it had been a massive volcano that spewed out enough lava to create the base for the Apojii Islands. After it had cooled, a fault line in Weyard's geographic plates caused it to sink several hundred feet into sea. After that, the numerous chambers and tunnels that had originally held and channeled magma filled with water, creating the wondrous chambers and caverns of Aqua Rock. Another volcano far to the east of Angara had created the base for the smallest of Weyard's eight continents. Izumo only had one city on it, and that was named after the continent itself. The infamous volcano was on Osenia. Now known as Air's Rock, it had started out as a mountain, but just after Alchemy was sealed, it erupted, spewing magma for miles around. The desolation created by the eruption was then named the Yampi Desert, a barren ravaged wasteland.  
  
Santur's thoughts were interrupted as Jupiten landed on the aerie of Jupiter Lighthouse. Santur climbed off of his steed, then walked up to the giant beacon that lit up the landscape for miles around. As he approached it, a shaft of light suddenly emanated from the beacon and engulfed him. After a minute of this, the light faded. Santur's aura was changed. He could already feel more power flowing through him. "Alright, Jupiten! Let's roll!" He jumped on his horse, who promptly flew off to the northeast.  
  
Mercurin jumped out of the water and onto the sandy beaches of Atteka. She started galloping south, eventually reaching a small river. She jumped in and started swimming downstream. Meron was looking ahead and noticed that the river entered a small cave in the side of a foothill. Before they entered that, however, Mercurin jumped out of the water and started galloping towards the now-visible Jupiter Lighthouse. When she had reached it, she quickly scaled it using the ice spike method. When she had reached the top, Meron ran up to the beacon. Before she was able to reach it, she was engulfed by the same brilliant light that had surrounded Santur just minutes before. When it vanished, her pupils had changed to a deep shade of black.  
  
Unbeknownst to Meron, Santur had just finished the same process at Mercury Lighthouse. Gandas and Goman had also completed their visits to Mars Lighthouse and Venus Lighthouse. Brigg had a little more of a challenge getting up the side of the lighthouses. He had expected that he would have to find his way through the innards of the lighthouse. When he reached it, he found out differently. As Venusit rode up to the side of the lighthouse, Brigg was about to dismount when the horse nickered at him. "What is it?" he asked his steed. The horse's aura flashed and the ground trembled. Suddenly, Brigg found himself riding a large boulder that was caught in the largest Grand Gaia he had ever seen. As they neared the aerie, Venusit jumped off of the boulder, landing on the edge of the platform. Venusit had repeated this process at Mars Lighthouse as well.  
  
As they were all standing on the aeries of various lighthouses, Albert established a mind link with them. "Quickly! The wise one is traveling southeast towards Venus Lighthouse. He's going to try to quench the beacon!" Santur, Meron, and Brigg were off in a flash, traveling at top speed towards the lighthouse. Gandas and Goman, already standing on the aerie, started searching for the large spherical rock.  
  
Santur was approaching Venus Lighthouse from the north when he saw the wise one. It was traveling up from Indra towards the lighthouse. It was levitating about twenty feet off the ground. Santur flew down to meet him with Gandas and Goman in tow. They landed on the ground and rode towards him. When they were thirty feet away, the rock suddenly noticed them. "Who are you and what do you want?" Santur stepped forward. "I am Santur, and these men are Gandas and Goman. We are Adepts that have been sent to stop you from sealing Alchemy." The rock blinked, then laughed. "You think that you can stop me? Foolish humans. I am unstoppable, and I have been set up as a guardian over Weyard. Humans cannot continue to use this power. They will destroy themselves and damage Weyard irreparably. Alchemy must be sealed. There is no other way." "You are wrong! We can prevent this. That is what the ACSS is for!" "There is no other way. Now stand out of my way or be destroyed."  
  
Santur stood his ground. An aura formed around the wise one as it charged its Psynergy. Santur began to form a protective aura around himself and Jupiten. His horse boosted the shield's power. The wise one's aura flashed and a huge lightning bolt struck Santur's aura shield, shattering it instantly. "As you can see, I am far more powerful than you can ever hope to be. Now stand aside or die." Santur remained motionless. "Very well." The wise one's aura started to glow again. Suddenly, a beam of light split the ground between Santur and the wise one. As the wise one released a barrage of huge icicles towards Santur, a huge rock leapt out of the ground, blocking the attack. The beam of golden light extended out towards the wise one and another boulder shot out of the ground, colliding with the wise one. As the wise one fell to the ground, Santur noticed the source of the Grand Gaia attack. Brigg and Venusit jumped out of the ground and landed next to Santur. "You've got to be more careful, Santur. You're going to get hurt sometime." The two smiled at each other.  
  
The wise one wasn't down for long, however. He got up and flew towards Santur, meaning to blast him right off of Weyard. He never got the chance. Brigg, Gandas, and Goman all raised their hands. Large energy beams emanated from them as six small swords stabbed him. Energy flew in towards the three Adepts as three massive swords all stabbed into the wise one. "Boy, this Sol thing rocks!" Gandas said as he lowered his hand. The wise one once again rushed at Santur, only to be stopped by dozens of searing heat beams. "Finally! I can use Odessy AND Liquifier!" Brigg was ecstatic.  
  
By this time, Santur had recovered and was ready to battle. As the wise one began to levitate again, he raised his hand. "Spark Plasma!" he screamed as multiple lightning bolts struck the wise one. He reeled backwards and fell, landing on a large bed of ice spikes. Mercurin jumped out of the nearby sea and galloped towards the wise one while Meron began to charge her Psynergy. As the horse neared the now-recovering wise one, Meron unleashed a massive blast of static electricity that stunned it. Santur now had the chance to summon something. As he raised his hands, a huge rainbow circle began to form in the sky. As the wise one began to levitate again, Thor unleashed yet another barrage of electricity. Just as Thor began to vanish, a huge spray of ice came from the north, encasing and immobilizing the wise one. But just as the stream of ice ceased, a huge glowing arrow came from the same direction and shattered the small glacier that now held the wise one prisoner. Gandas and Goman both summoned large meteors that hit the wise one, sending him to the ground. As Brigg raised his hands, a large portal opened behind him, filled with a brilliant explosion. The explosion shot out of the portal, flying past Brigg and straight towards the wise one. At the last second, the wise one's aura flashed, creating a reflective shield and sending the explosion straight back at Brigg. There was a tremendous roar, followed by silence.  
  
Brigg, Santur, Gandas, Goman, and Meron all lay sprawled on the ground. Meron crawled to her feet, then ran over to Brigg's unconscious form. She burst into tears as she realized that he was dead. She then ran to Santur, only to find that he was also dead. Gandas died just as she tried to heal him, but Goman was still alive. She quickly began to cast Pure Ply on him, hoping to revive him. "Foolish humans." There was a bright flash as Meron was blasted back. Goman was dead. Meron lay on the ground, waiting for the end. As she faded out of consciousness, she saw two forms materialize next to her. Everything went black.  
  
Two Mars Adepts, a man and a woman, materialized on either side of Meron. The man had short blue hair, but the woman's bright red hair was long enough to hang below her knees. "Quickly, Saturos! They need help!" Saturos ran over to Gandas. "Mars Djinn! Quickly! If you want to save your friends, then prepare to summon." Gandas' Djinn quickly prepared. "Menardi, are you ready?" She nodded. Four Mercury Djinn stood on the ground, ready to summon. Saturos and Menardi raised their arms and shut their eyes. The wise one looked at them, but his attention was soon diverted as he noticed a small glowing sphere forming about a hundred feet above him. Streams of energy flowed from all the Djinn into the now-expanding sphere of light. As the wise one stared, the sphere flashed and shattered. When the light faded, a large woman was hovering in place of the sphere. She was dressed in long flowing robes of colors brilliant beyond description. As the wise one stared, she raised her arms. Numerous spheres of energy began to form and contract. Suddenly, seven bright beams shot straight down, penetrating and stunning the wise one. The woman shot up into the sky, wise one in tow. As Saturos and Menardi watched, the woman flew straight towards the sun. Eventually they had to shield their eyes from the bright star and weren't able to see what transpired next. No one saw what happened next, save for the wise one and the woman known as Iris. As they approached the bright burning fusion reaction, the woman veered out of the way, allowing the wise one to fly full-force into the sun. A tremendous explosion occurred as a solar flare leapt off the face of the sun. The wise one was shot back towards the earth. The woman smiled, and then vanished.  
  
Saturos and Menardi had only waited about five seconds when a burning sphere hit the ground. As the flames died away, they could see the scarred and burned form of the wise one. He began to levitate again, trying to complete his task. But even as he was picking himself up off the ground, his power failed. With an unexpected silence, he dissolved into the air. As he did, numerous bright specks of Psynergy began to form around the five dead bodies and their dead horses. The glowing sparkles absorbed into the skin of the bodies. As the two Mars Adepts watched, Meron raised her head. She slowly climbed to her feet, a questioning look in her eyes. She opened her mouth, but Saturos held up his hand. "Look at your friends." Meron looked at Santur's body. Her countenance fell as the truth of what had happened set in. Her dearest friend, her companion from early childhood, was dead. She would never see him again. But something was wrong. His chest began to rise and fall slightly. As he began breathing, Meron stared in awe. When he began to pick himself up off the ground, she suddenly realized that he was alive again. She let out a squeal of joy and ran to him, helping him to his feet. Santur looked at the dead forms of his other friends. But as he watched, the same transition took place in them and in the horses. Within a minute, they were all standing on their feet.  
  
They all joined hands as Santur established a mind link with Albert. "What happened, Santur? For a minute, we lost your life sign. Did you win?" Santur smiled. "We won. Weyard is safe."  
  
Epilogue  
  
Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in a room at the Lalivero Inn. Santur turned to Saturos and Menardi. "Now that we have a minute, who are you?" Saturos smiled. "I'm Saturos and this is Menardi. We are Mars Adepts from the time period when the seal was broken. You see, we were defeated by the warrior Isaac at Venus Lighthouse. As we fell down through the central shaft, a bright beam of light shot out as the beacon lit. We were suspended in midair. We saw the wise one. He told us that you, Santur, were going to seal Alchemy, and that we needed to stop you. He sent into this time period, hoping that we would destroy you. You see, he recognized that you would be a threat to him when he tried to seal Alchemy, so he decided to have us kill you. We hired Albert to do just that. He wanted to protect you, so he took the job and set the Gray Company on you, knowing that they wouldn't be able to kill you. That way, he was able to convince us that the job was being done. After a while, though, we got suspicious. We realized that going to Albert himself wouldn't work, so we started to track down Goman, hoping to get information from him. After he escaped us, we had no choice but to wait. Finally, we got a lead. Someone said that you were in Alhafra. We sent the Gray Company to kill you, but one of them thought that we had sent them on a quest to cleanse Weyard. We tried to stop them, but we were too late. After you destroyed them, we realized that we were being tricked, so we confronted Albert. He told us that you were fighting the wise one and begged us to help you. We arrived just in time to save you. You see, we summoned the lady Iris, who not only attacks an enemy with enormous power, but also revives your team. The wise one was defeated and you were saved all in one move. All of us were used by the wise one, played against each other so that he could seal Alchemy. But thanks to some twist of fate, we found out about his plot and were finally able to join forces. Weyard is safe."  
  
Santur and his friends eventually quit the ACSS, having served faithfully for five years. Brigg moved back to Vault, Gandas returned to his family in Prox, and Goman went back to bounty hunting. Santur and Meron moved back to Vault. Six months later, they were married. They lived happily for many years and raised three children, two girls and one boy. Albert continued as director of the ACSS until his death fifteen years later. It was over one thousand years later that the prophecy was fulfilled and the Day of Destruction came about. But even after the almost complete destruction of Weyard, several small groups of people survived. Within eight hundred years, Weyard was completely habitable and had a growing population. Alchemy remained and continues to remain active to this very day. And they all lived happily ever after. The End.  
  
Wow. That was LONG. Much longer than anything else I've ever written. This has been a huge learning experience for me. I've learned a whole lot of things, like don't start stupid subplots that you won't be able to wrap up correctly (i.e. the gray company.) I've already started planning my next fic, along with another small one that I want to do. Thanks so much to SolSabre and leaftwiggy for their reviews. For the rest of you, please review and let me know what you think of this story. Thanks.  
  
Andrew Ames (Pyro1588)  
  
http://www.weyard.cjb.net/  
  
12/30/03  
  
12:54 PM  
  
29 paragraphs  
  
277 lines  
  
3305 words 


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